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12/15/2022 08:31 AMWith human-animal encounters on the rise, Madison's Animal Control personnel have some simple advice for residents this season. With a population increase in numerous species from owls to hawks and from coyotes to bears, human interactions are increasing all along the shoreline.
Madison’s Animal Control officer Liz Amendola has had a number of interesting wildlife encounters in her career so she has seen the rise firsthand. Amendola has been with the department for 13 years.
There isn’t a “typical day” for Animal Control, said Amendola, but regardless of the call, her goal is to protect animals and help educate residents.
“When it comes to Animal Control, it really depends on where you do it in Connecticut,” said Amendola. “Most of the calls in this area are wildlife conflict calls, like a raccoon in a chimney or sick wildlife on their [a resident's] property, or a snake in their garage. These are the types of calls we get. As opposed to officers in other towns in a more urban environment, [who] don’t normally handle wildlife calls. They deal more with domestic animal issues. We are called for roaming dogs and barking dog complaints, but a good portion of my position, especially recently, is educating people on how to co-exist with our resident wildlife.”
According to Amendola, she does very little in the way of domestic animal interactions and spends most of her time assisting residents with wildlife issues. Madison has seen an influx of new residents during and post-pandemic, and according to Amendola, many of the recent arrivals are unfamiliar with the abundance of wildlife that calls the area home.
“We have a number of new residents, and some people have moved into Madison who do not have much experience with wildlife on their property. So, they are learning that, and I do a lot of education as part of my duties,” said Amendola.
Amendola has advice for homeowners and residents for several species that can become a nuisance or prompt calls from the public.
“This time of year, as we head towards winter, I advise people to make sure they have a screen for their chimney cap to prevent, for example, raccoon(s) and squirrels from coming down the flue, bats, that sort of thing as well. That’s probably my number one piece of advice this time of year.”
According to Amendola, bear sightings continue to steadily increase every year along the shoreline, especially in Madison. North Madison sees the largest number of reported sightings, but bears often make their way south and have been reported all along the vicinity of Route 1.
Amendola has some simple advice when it comes to larger predators such as bears, coyotes, and foxes.
“This time of year, bears are trying to get fattened up for the winter, so they are active right now. We typically see a reduction of sightings during the winter, due to their modified hibernation, and then, of course, they emerge again in the spring,” said Amendola. “The calls really do come in from all over town. The best advice to prevent bear encounters is to secure your garbage. The best way to do that is to put out your garbage [on] the morning of the garbage pickup. That can be difficult as the pickups are often early in the morning, but if you can leave your garbage inside for as long as possible, that is best. If you do put it outside, we recommend pouring a little ammonia or bleach or a bleach-soaked rag in your garbage. This can certainly keep not just bear, but raccoon out of your garbage cans."
Amendola also recommends bringing in bird feeders and raking up any fallen fruit from fruit trees. She also advised residents to not feed bears or any large wildlife, adding that sometimes putting out deterrents is necessary.
"Ammonia and bleach can be very effective deterrents.”
Amendola also said that securing or installing screens on attic or roof venting can prevent bats, squirrels, and chipmunks from gaining access to your property.
“Those types of screens can often, over time, degrade. So, this is a good time of year to inspect your property and see if there is any way to prevent a wildlife breach that allows access to your property.”
According to Amendola, some wild turkeys get territorial and can get aggressive with cars or other large objects. The officer said, anyone having this issue can simply place a rubber snake on the hood of a vehicle or the object and that will often deter aggressive turkeys.
“A rubber snake will scare off a turkey,” said Amendola. “But I love our local wildlife and I am always encouraging people to enjoy it and there are plenty of ways that we can live with it.”
Wildlife calls continue to be the top issue for Madison, according to Amendola, and providing information and education is her top priority. She also coordinates closely with several animal rehab organizations that work tirelessly to assist area police and animal control departments with injured wildlife.
“The job certainly encompasses a lot more than it used to. It’s not just finding or picking up domestic animals, like dogs. Here in Madison helping to solve wildlife conflicts and educating residents is what we do the most,” said Amendola. “
Amendola related one of her more interesting encounters, which did involve a domestic animal, a rather rotund porcine that had gotten loose from its enclosure on a Madison farm. Some on-the-fly snack skills enabled Amendola to corral the wayward pig, despite having to dodge traffic.
“I had to wrangle a very large pig down Route 1, once,” said Amendola. “I had to coax him back along some very busy traffic back to his farm. Pigs are certainly a food-motivated animal, and you can’t tell them where to go, you have to lure them where to go. So, I had half a box of Wheat Thins but still had a decent distance to go to bring this big sow home. So, this tremendous pig is following me as I was very sparingly tossing Wheat Thins along the road. I was trying to stretch the Wheat Thins so they would last the whole distance back. The pig was trying to mug me from behind for the snacks, and it did go out into traffic once before I got it back. That one was a little nerve-wracking, that pig must have been close to 400 pounds. It’s always good to carry some loose snacks around — you never know when they can come in handy.”
Ultimately, Amendola said the best advice when it comes to wildlife that is non-threatening is to just ignore animals and allow them their space. Most species are afraid of humans and will move away of their own accord.
“Education is something that I really like to do. I am always happy to talk with folks and share the knowledge that I have and assist people in enjoying all the species of animals that we are lucky enough to have out here,” said Amendola.
If the situation does become hazardous or an animal becomes entrapped in a structure residents should contact Animal Control immediately. Anyone with questions or who requires assistance with animal issues, call the Madison Animal Control Department at 203-245-6570.