Inspirational Quote Of the Month

“Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success.”

Brian Adams

Welcome to Critter Comrades the Got Wildlife? Monthly newsletter. We hope you enjoy it! This newsletter is for you, if you have any suggestions, questions or topics you would like us to cover please email:

For NY contact dan@gotwildlifepro.com

For NJ contact dean@gotwildlifepro.com

ANIMAL FEATURE 

Raccoon

Have you seen the movie Furry Vengeance? If you are wild about wildlife or are in the business of resolving wildlife/human conflicts you will enjoy this movie. The raccoon is hilarious or should I say what the raccoon does is hilarious and his underlying true nature shines through in the movie. He is cunning, creative, protective and aggressive when provoked. Raccoons will use their five fingered hands to rip into or grab whatever it is they desire, whether it be the siding on your house, a slight space in your soffit or your front lawn digging for grubs. I have even seen one hang from a gutter while rescuing one of it’s kits aka baby raccoons. The raccoons distinctive “mask” fits its reputation as a night-time bandit, thief and garbage raider. Although they appear to be cute and cuddly, they can be very aggressive if they feel threatened. If you encounter one, please give Got Wildlife? a call at 1-877-FUR-FIND and we would welcome the opportunity to assist you.

Raccoons are part of the Procyonidae family which includes raccoons, coatis, ringtails, kinkagous and the asian lesser panda. Raccoons range in size from 12 to 36 pounds having a body 26 to 38 inches long including a 10 inch tail. Their coat is long and thick, grizzled, grayish brown, and they have a black mask below white eyebrows. Their Legs are medium in length and their paws are puffy and they have flexible toes used for climbing. They are primarily nocturnal but may be active during the day, especially in the spring and summer when the female is nursing her young and requires more food. They do not hibernate. However, If the temperature drops below 25 degrees fahrenheit they may sleep for days. They do not migrate.

Raccoons are opportunists. They eat fruits, berries and mast (acorns, nuts, and seeds from trees), insects, worms, frogs, fish, turtles, mice, crayfish, clams, snails, eggs and young of birds and reptiles, garden, orchard, and field crops, birdseed, pet food, garbage and carion. Raccoons prefer to live in hardwood forests near streams, rivers, swamps, or ponds. They are highly adaptable. They will den in tree cavities and hollow logs, rock crevices, burrows, brush piles, haystacks, beaver lodges, chimneys, attics, crawl spaces, barns, buildings, culverts, storm sewers, and abandoned autos. They usually have a central den (and a few spares) within its range. Females may den together in groups of up to a dozen. Males den by themselves.

Raccoons mate in late January to February. Gestation takes approximately 63 days. Typical birthing periods are from March through May. However, late breeding females may give birth as late as August. Raccoons are polygamous, females raise the young alone. In fact, the males will potentially kill the kits if they find them. A typical litter is 3 to 5 kits.

BEST PRACTICES

Raccoon

If anyone is feeding the raccoons, persuade them to stop.

Put trash out in the morning, instead of the evening, if possible, or keep trash in a protected area.
Raccoon-proof garbage cans or dumpsters with a tight-fitting lid. Secure garbage cans with heavy-duty straps or bungee cords, or attach it to a post, or keep it out of reach in the garage (close garage doors at night), or place the can in a covered and secured bin.
Feed birds during the fall and winter and gradually stop by May.

Enclose compost piles in a framed box using hardware cloth or welded wire; in a sturdy container, such as a 55-gallon drum; or in a commercial composter.

Feed pets indoors. Any food left outdoors should be removed at night. Pet food bowls should also be brought indoors because they retain attractive odors

Although raccoons do appear to be cute and cuddly they are an extremely dangerous animal. Raccoons are the highest carrier of rabies in New York and New Jersey. Their scat fouls yards and other public areas and presents significant health hazards due to the parasites found in their scat, ie roundworm. If you are having any issues with raccoons whether it be a public facility, residential home or commercial property call 1-877-FUR-FIND and Got Wildlife? will provide a professional, humane, permanent resolution to your wildlife/human conflict.

Please visit us at www.GotWildlifePro.com

IF YOU ARE CRAZY ABOUT WILDLIFE…STAY TUNED..OUR E-COMMERCE SITE IS COMING SOON

5% discount to all war veterans and military personal

Mohonk Preserve. Friday July 16th. Toddlers on the trail–Stream walk 10 am to 12 pm. .For more information please visit www.mohonkpreserve.org

Museum of Hudson Highlands. Every Tuesday and Weds. in July. Discovering Animals Together from 9:30 am to 10:30 am (ages 2 to 4) and 11 am to 12 pm (ages 3 to 4)at the Wildlife Nature Center. For more information please visit; www.museumhudsonhighlands.org

Weinberg Nature Center. www.weinbergnaturecenter.org
Beczak Environmental Education Center. July 12th – 16th Exploration and Adventure on the river, daily 10 am to 4 pm for ages 10 to 12. July 19th – 23rd Young naturalists Experience the Greenest Fun in the Valley, daily 10 am to 4 pm for ages 7 to 9. July 26th – 30th Science Discovery Stories and Games, daily 10 am to 2 pm for ages 5 to 6.For more information please visit; www.beczak.org.

And for some Wildlife fun all year round visit:

www.turtlebackzoo.org – located in West Orange, NJ
www.spacefarms.com —located in Sussex, NJ
www.palisadesparksconservancy.org The Bear Mountain Zoo located in the Bear Mountain State Park, NY

The post Newsletter June 2010 first appeared on Got Wild LIfe?.]]> https://www.gotwildlifepro.com/got-wildlife-llc-has-been-contracted-by-kraft-foods-inc/ Sat, 26 Jun 2010 02:28:37 +0000 http://www.gotwildlifepro.com/?p=908 Got Wildlife? LLC 1-877-FUR-FIND has been contracted by Kraft Foods, Inc. (NYSE: KFT) to provide Wildlife Management Services. Got Wildlife? LLC, based out of Newburgh, NY serves both residential and commercial accounts and provides the following services; Animal Trapping, Removal and Re-Location, Wildlife Damage Prevention and Repairs, Dead Animal Removal and Animal Clearance Certificates. Kraft … Continue reading "Got Wildlife? LLC has been Contracted by Kraft Foods, Inc."

Inspirational Quote Of the Month

“Success is not a destination, it’s a journey.”

Zig Ziglar

Welcome to Critter Comrades the Got Wildlife? Monthly newsletter. We hope you enjoy it! This newsletter is for you, if you have any suggestions, questions or topics you would like us to cover please email:

For NY contact dan@gotwildlifepro.com

For NJ contact dean@wildlifepro.com ANIMAL FEATURE

Bats

Whenever I think of Bats one of my favorite childhood books comes to mind, Stellaluna by Janell Cannan. Stellaluna is a Fruit Bat, we do not have those in our service areas. If you have a child and you haven’t read it yet, it’s an incredible story of acceptance and well worth the read.

Bats are amazing mammals. There are over 1100 species of bats found worldwide, just about 25% of all mammal species and yes some of them do suck blood(Vampire Bat). Most of these bats are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. The world’s smallest mammal is the Bumblebee Bat of Thialand which weighs about as much as a dime. And on the other extreme, the Giant Flying Fox Bat (they are fruit bats found in Indonesia) have wingspans of nearly six feet. The two bats found in our service areas, are the Little Brown Bat and the Big Brown Bat and they eat insects. In fact, a Little Brown Bat can consume up to 1,000 mosquitos per hour. While they absolutely provide significant benefits to our immediate environment, if residing in the wrong places, they can become a hazard or nuisance to your family or customers. You may find females roosting in colonies of buildings (residential or commercial) to raise their young. Their guano and urine can damage insulation and other household and commercial goods and attract other pests. During an extreme heat wave, several bats may enter your living quarters or business, seeking a cooler roost. This is when they’ll show up in places they normally don’t use. Big Brown Bats will hibernate in buildings (little browns don’t seem to.) In the winter, a Big Brown Bat may leave its roost in your attic and fly around in the living and working spaces. This usually happens when the temperature of the attic roost changes dramatically, disturbing their hibernation—during a thaw, or during the very coldest part of the winter, if the attic is much colder than the rest of the house.

The Little Brown Bats are approximately 3 to 4 inches long and have a 9 inch wing span. These are the most abundant species of bat found in New York and New Jersey. The Big Brown Bats are 4 to 5 inches long and have a 12 inch wing span. They both have a brownish nose, long hairs on their toes—hair sticks out beyond the end of their toes, and the Calcor (the bone that juts back from the ankle bone) has no or a weak keel. The bat skeleton is designed to facilitate flying. They are thin hollow bones. The delicate arm and finger bones form a framework. The skin stretches over the framework to form the wings. Bats have an amazing sonar system that allows them to see extremely well in the dark. Bats send out bursts of very high pitched clicks through their mouths or noses. When these sounds bounce off the bat’s surroundings, it picks up the echoes using it’s ears. This process is called echolation. Echolation also assist in find food. Bats are nocturnal, with peek feeding times at dusk and dawn. During the winter they hibernate. The Little Brown Bat can reduce their heart rate to 20 beats per minute and can stop breathing altogether for 48 minutes at a time while hibernating. They may hibernate for more than seven months if left undisturbed, but can starve if they are awakened too many times during the winter, which causes them to run out of energy reserves before spring.

The bat’s natural habitat consists of forests and forest edges, areas with lakes and ponds, parks, orchards, fields, suburbs and cities. Bats mate during the fall, but the females store the sperm in their bodies for months, fertilization does not take place until late winter or early spring. The gestation period is 50 to 60 days. Little Brown Bats have 1 pup; Big Brown Bats have 2 pups. A nursing Little Brown Bat mother can eat more than her body weight nightly (up to 4,500 insects).

Bats are an essential part of our ecosystems. As mentioned earlier, a Little Brown Bat can eat up to 1,000 mosquitos in an hour. A single colony of 150 Big Brown Bats can protect local farmers from up to 33 million or more rootworms each summer. Many important agricultural plants like mangoes, cashews, dates, figs, bananas rely on bats for pollination and seed disposal. Bat droppings in caves support whole ecosystems of unique organisms, including bacteria useful in detoxifying wasts, improving detergents, and producing gasohol and antibiotics. Unfortunately, nearly 40% of American bat species are in severe decline or already listed as endangered or threatened.

Around here, our bats are being devastated by a disease called the White Nose Syndrome. Named for a cold-loving white fungus typically found on the faces and wings of infected bats, White-nose Syndrome causes bats to awaken more often during hibernation and use up the stored fat reserves that are needed to get them through the winter. Infected bats often emerge too soon from hibernation and are often seen flying around in midwinter. These bats usually freeze or starve to death.

BEST PRACTICES

Bats

The best form of prevention is to seal potential points of entry into the living or business quarters and any cracks and holes on the outside of the building. Bats can enter a building through a crack that’s only 1/4″ wide by 1 1/2″ long, about the size of a stick of gum or a stubby pencil.

Upon bat proofing your home, provide and alternative for the bats. Bat houses can help build the populations of many valuable bat species that eat many crop-damaging insects, such as cucumber and June beetles, stink bugs, leafhoppers and corn worm moths. Bat houses furnish places for bats to roost, hibernate and raise young.

Here at Got Wildlife? LLC, we understand the importance of bats and the role they play in our ecosystems. We can take care of your bat circumstance in a professional, humane manner. Please call us at 1-877-Fur-Find if you are having an issue. We will conduct a full inspection and determine the best solution for your problem.

Please visit us at www.GotWildlifePro.com

Mohonk Preserve. Saturday June 5st. Celebration of Children in Nature 1 pm to 5 pm. Friday June 18th. Toddlers on the Trail – What’s Blooming from 10 am to 12 pm. Saturday June 19th. Oak Forest Exploration from 9 am to 12 pm.For more information please visit www.mohonkpreserve.org

Museum of Hudson Highlands. Every Sat. & Sun. at the Wildlife Nature Center, “Meet the Animal of the Week” 1:00 pm & 2:30 pm. For more information please visit; www.museumhudsonhighlands.org

Weinberg Nature Center. Sunday June 6th & 13th Come Meet the Animals. Morning and afternoon sessions. For more information please visit; www.weinbergnaturecenter.org

www.turtlebackzoo.org – located in West Orange, NJ
www.spacefarms.com —located in Sussex, NJ
www.palisadesparksconservancy.org The Bear Mountain Zoo located in the Bear Mountain State Park, NY The post Newsletter May 2010 first appeared on Got Wild LIfe?.]]> https://www.gotwildlifepro.com/furry-vengeance/ Thu, 27 May 2010 06:00:46 +0000 http://www.gotwildlifepro.com/?p=885 Furry Vengeance Movie Trailer Yahoo!  One for the animals. Being in the Wildlife Management business, I felt compelled to go and check out the movie, Furry Vengeance.  I have to say, the raccoon was my favorite. He was one clever fellow—very much like most raccoons we encounter.  I enjoyed the movie thoroughly and my 6 … Continue reading "Furry Vengeance"

In fact, we are in the process of setting up our not for profit, The Got Wildlife? Foundation with the intentions of donating a portion of our funds generated/raised to Wildlife Rehabilitators in our service areas and beyond—as our organization grows we will look to assist nationwide. Stay tuned for updates on the Got Wildlife? Foundation.

Below is a recent circumstance that required assistance from a Wildlife Rehabilitator, Susan Denicholas in Newburgh, NY.  We rescued 4 raccoon kits –aren’t they adorable.  They were all healthy and will be rehabbed and released into the wild later this summer.

In closing, this time of year you will be seeing many babies, perhaps without their parents.  Don’t be an accidental kidnapper.  During the spring and Summer Seasons, new generations of wild birds and mammals are born in our woodlands and yards.  These young wild animals are less wary of humans than their parents and are often mistaken for orphans and “rescued” by well-intentioned people.  The fact is that, in many cases, these infant animals and birds are not truly orphaned or abandoned and are better left to be cared for by their natural parents.  Two simple rules of thumb:

1. If you have to chase it to catch it, it does not require your assistance.
2. Don’t remove it from its parents.

And if you do come across a situation that requires you to contact a Wildlife Rehabilitator place the animal in a warm, dark, quiet area.  Do not feed or provide water, until you have spoken to a professional and have been given instructions.

If you are in need of a Wildlife Rehabilitator in New York, Please visit www.nyswrc.org or call me at 917-282-9090 and I will get you in touch with a Rehabilitator that can assist.  If in NJ please visit  www.njawr.org

“This American system of ours, call it Americanism,call it capitalism, call it what you will, gives each and every one of us a great opportunity if we only seize it with both hands and make the most of it.”
Aurthur Unknown

The plant is owned and operated by Entergy Nuclear Northeast, a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation and includes two operating Westinghouse pressurized water reactors – Indian Point 2 and Indian Point 3. “This is a large facility with very specific requirements. Security is a priority and we need to be in and out quickly so that we do not interfere with the day to day operations of the facility.
Throughout our discussions we made it very clear that we were sensitive to their requirements and procedural guidelines. Here at Got Wildlife? we cater the wildlife solutions to the clients needs, requirements and restrictions. We understand that every situation and every client is different.” Stated Ben Munger Co-Owner/Operator.

Got Wildlife? prides itself on providing professional customer service combined with the best wildlife solutions for the situation. We have balance, we understand people and wildlife.

When we respond to a call we will set up a site inspection which includes an interview with the homeowner.  Often the first question out of a client is, “how much will this cost me?”  That is why the site inspection and interview are so vital.  Every human/wildlife conflict is different, depending upon many variables; what type of animal is it? Is it a vector species? Is it poisonous? Is it a large male?  Is it a pregnant female or a female with babies? Where is it located?  Is it in a hard to get place under the deck or in a crawl space?  Is it in the attic and if so how high is the roof and how many pitches does it have? If it’s birds, are there multiple locations within the facility? Are there public areas to be concerned with? Do we have limited times we may access the property? How long has the client been hearing noises?  How often?  All of the answers to these questions (and more) will play a significant role in pricing. BEWARE OF COMPANIES THAT PRICE OVER THE PHONE WITHOUT SEEING AND UNDERSTANDING THE WILDLIFE ISSUE—THIS IS A SET UP FOR A RE-PRICING ONCE THEY ARE HIRED.

Following the site inspection we will provide you with a proposal which will involve the removal /re-location of the animal, a recommendation on exclusion work and environmental clean-up ( if need be).  Exclusion meaning we determine where the animal is entering in from and we seal those access points.  All three steps are important to ensure that the animal or another perspective animal does not return.  What amazes me is when people tell us to just get rid of it, but take a pass on the exclusion work and or the clean up.  I am just not sure what the purpose is to remove something, but leave a gaping hole with an attractive scent to it.  Simply trapping an intrusive animal does not solve the problem.  The property remains susceptible to re-entry with no guarantee another animal will not occupy the space. Exlcusion work is vital to ensuring the human/wildlife conflict is properly resolved. Bottom line, if you have no intention of getting the exclusion work done, don’t bother removing the animal.  It is a waste of your money.

Our final step is to educate you, the customer,  on the steps you can take as a home owner or business owner that would assist in preventing another human/wildlife conflict.

I hope that clarifies what we do and how we do it.  For more information please feel free to contact me directly at 917-282-9090 or visit us at www.GotWildlifePro.com

“You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you”.

James Allen