by Guest Blogger Emily Davenport

Executive Director, Founder
Rocky Mountain Wildlife Alliance

We’ve heard this story before…

“A raccoon was trapped and relocated, now I have a bunch of squirrels trying to get into the attic.”

Or

“A skunk was relocated, and now there are rats in the crawlspace.”

Wildlife has its checks and balances, and when we trap and relocate a big established male skunk for example, that leaves space for more adolescent skunks to come into the territory, and leads to more coexisting issues.

What’s a better option? Eviction!

Nobody wants to deal with bats, squirrels, or raccoons in their home but our decisions can have deadly consequences and inadvertently cause more unwanted wildlife damage to our home. Trapping and relocating may seem like a good idea for the humans involved, but this rarely works and is often fatal for the animal that is removed from its home range. Additionally, once the adults are removed, homeowners are often left with orphaned babies or more animals move in because the entry problem has not been resolved. Humane eviction using a one-way trap door and reuniting adults with their babies, and closing up the entry point is a much better option.

Instead of removing an animal from its territory, you can humanely have it leave your home by installing a one-way trap door. If installing a one-way door is not an option making their living area inhospitable by using motion-sensing strobe lights or playing loud music as a deterrent is another great option. Once they leave, it’s time to secure and seal up their entryway – just check for babies left behind first.

Raccoon one-way door

If you are dealing with a nuisance wildlife issue and you want to use humane and compassionate methods, we highly recommend using Animal Help Now to find a Humane Eviction Specialist near you. Many companies say they use humane methods, but that’s not always the case.

Our mission at Rocky Mountain Wildlife Alliance is to elevate the care and protection of wildlife by fostering a sense of community and collaboration through the Alliance. Serving both Metro Denver and northern Colorado Springs, we are quickly becoming the largest wildlife rehabilitation center south of the Denver Metro area, with the next nearest wildlife facility located over 70 miles away.   Since opening our facility in July of 2022, we have provided care to over 400 wildlife patients in our hospital, while helping thousands more through public outreach.

The Rocky Mountain Wildlife Alliance is all about wildlife conservation and empowering our community to connect with the natural world. We like to say, “We are for people, professionals, and wildlife!”  We have built our mission around thinking outside the box and finding fun, creative, and interactive ways to engage the public through wildlife conservation. Our programs are all about breaking down the most complex environmental issues into easy-to-digest conservation tidbits that each person can take home and put into action.

For more information on The Rocky Mountain Wildlife Alliance, go to: www.RMWAlliance.org

RMWA is located at: 6490 N US Highway 85 Sedalia, CO 80135

Phone Direct | 303-908-4871 Main | 720-831-8130
Email | connect@rmwalliance.org