Know The Legal Status of Your Most Common Nuisance Wildlife

All across Canada, laws and regulations have been passed to ensure that wildlife is protected and treated humanely even when they cause nuisance to humans. The government has been promoting taking care of the balance of our ecosystem and enforcing these rules allows them to do so.

Many homeowners are not aware that these wildlife animals are legally protected by the government. But you know what they always say, “ignorance of the law is not an excuse.” So today, we help you to be more familiar with the legal status of the most common nuisance wildlife that you may encounter here in Oakville.

The city of Oakville has their own animal control by-laws seeking to regulate the keeping of animals and guiding citizens on what to do when they encounter wildlife. Let us go through them in detail.

1. Prohibited animals. Animals that are tagged as prohibited should not be kept, either on a temporary or permanent basis.
2. Restricted animals. Animals tagged under restricted can be kept in the household provided the following conditions: (a) no more than two animals per person within the town; (b) each restricted animal should be housed in a separate cage unless they are of the same gender and compatible; (c) the cage where they are kept is tamper-proof and escape-proof; (d) each cage is protected from the elements; and (e) each cage is clean and sanitary.

Knowing this will help you be aware of what to do when you encounter these nuisance wildlife in your property. Here are the most common household invaders and how they are classified based on Oakville’s laws:

• Raccoons. Tagged as PROHIBITED.
• Skunks. Tagged as PROHIBITED.
• Bats. Tagged as PROHIBITED.
• Mice. Tagged as RESTRICTED.
• Squirrels. Tagged as RESTRICTED.

When you encounter any of these wildlife creatures inside your home, the law explicitly says that you have to deal with them in the most humane way possible. If any animal is at-large trespassing on your property, you have to remove them safely and turn them over to animal control officers.

The problem with this is that many of us are not trained to handle these animals properly and this sometimes lead to more serious risks. For example, a homeowner may think that trapping a raccoon is the best way to remove it from the property. While this may be right, there are instances when these raccoons become aggressive as they may be protecting their young. When cornered, they might lunge and bite you and this is something that we should prevent.

When you do not know what to do and the thought of catching these wildlife invaders seem to be overwhelming, it is best to to contact humane wildlife control services like Skedaddle.

Skedaddle Oakville has been collaborating with Oakville’s Town Council in helping implement humane methods in handling wildlife for the whole city. At the same time, they also support the laws mentioned above promoted by Oakville and Milton Humane Society to ensure protection of wildlife in the neighborhood. Bring back these wildlife creatures to the wild where they belong and be an agent of change in preventing needless exterminations. Call Skedaddle Oakville today!