Wildlife in Santa Clara County

Our county is home to a variety of animals, ranging from rattlesnakes, coyotes, mountain lions, opossums, raccoons, and deer. Environmental changes and continued urban growth in Santa Clara County have resulted in an increase in interaction between residents and wildlife. While fascinating in their natural environment, urbanized wildlife have changed their behavior becoming less fearful of humans and in some cases aggressive or defensive. This behavior change increases the chances of interaction with humans and pets, raising the potential for property damage and health threats.

Should I feed Wild Animals?

We often think we need to help our local wildlife by providing water, food, or shelter but these actions actually cause a number of serious problems. We may mean well when feeding birds and wildlife but our "handouts" harm wild animals by changing their behavior. Feeding wildlife makes them less fearful of people, and due to the lack of fear they may wander on to streets, parking lots, and construction sites resulting in injuries or death.

Human food is not healthy for wildlife and they do not need our assistance to survive. Wildlife have specialized diets that cannot be met with regular pet food or our own food. They can become malnourished, sick, or even die from being fed the wrong food. Providing wildlife with food trains them to expect it and encourages wildlife to congregate in the area. Too many animals in the area can lead to territorial fighting, resulting in injuries to pets and people, or can also result in property damage.

Human and Wildlife Conflicts

Although wildlife are beneficial to our environment, wildlife that are accustomed to people are more likely to cause property damage by chewing on wires or opening holes in structures to get inside. Wildlife that damage property or threaten human safety may have to be trapped and killed. Moving or release problematic wildlife is illegal since they often die within days due to stress, hunger, thirst, or fights with other animals.

Unlike people or pets, wild animals are not vaccinated against diseases and can spread diseases to humans and pets. This can include diseases like rabies, roundworm, and murine typhus. Feeding them increase wildlife numbers and when animals gather to feed, the chances of them spreading disease to each other, and to humans, increases.

Services

If urban wildlife becomes a problem by causing property damages or becoming aggressive, you can request a free home inspection. We may be able to help with the wildlife problem through educational information on prevention recommendations. Our purpose is not to compete with or to replace commercial pest control or wildlife management companies. Rather we provide appropriate assistance and service to property owners that can complement the work done by private sector businesses and/or the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Homeowners requesting assistance will receive a home inspection and consultation. This policy was designed to strike a balance between protecting native wildlife, and the population of humans and domestic animals. 

Please note we do not do any of the following

• Clean up after wildlife
• Enter inside property, crawl spaces, or attics
• Climb on roofs 
• Offer repair services 
• Trap or relocate any animals
• Animals trapped by home/property owners:
  • California Fish and Wildlife codes make it the responsibility of the home/property owner, or their agent, to check traps and remove animals daily. If you are in doubt about doing this yourself, you may contact the California Fish and Wildlife or a wildlife trapper of your choice. 
• If you should decide to trap animals yourself, please call the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for current information regarding trapping.  
• You may also contact your local animal shelter to receive information on their current policy regarding receipt of trapped wildlife.
• Respond to calls regarding injured or sick wildlife
• Respond to domestic animal situation, such as dogs, cats, livestock, etc. 
• Pick up dead animals (except for bats and certain birds)
• Respond to emergency or hazardous situations

You can request a free home inspection and consultation for issues with 

• Coyotes 
• Opossums 
• Raccoons 
• Snakes 
• Skunks 
• Bats 

Our trained technicians will inspect the exterior of your property and do the following

• Look for possible entry points. 
• Identify what might be attracting wildlife to your property. 
• Provide consultation and advice on how to: 
  • Do the repairs to keep wildlife out of your property. 
  • Reduce availability of food, water, and shelter. 

REQUEST A WILDLIFE INSPECTION

Prevent Accidental Feeding

The best foods for wildlife are those they can find in nature. Feeding by humans, even accidental feeding, causes them to stop their natural hunting and foraging instincts which can lead to starvation and dehydration. 

Prevent accidental feeding by doing the following:

• Feed pets inside instead of outside.
• Do not leave pet water bowls outside, especially at night.
• Maintain garbage, recycling, and compost bins tightly closed.
• Do not allow bird seeds/feed to accumulate on the ground - clean up fallen seeds routinely.
• Don't litter - Many human and pet foods come wrapped in some sort of packaging and wild animals can't tell the difference between packaging and food. If they accidentally eat it, they can get sick.
• If you have fruit trees or vegetable gardens, remove or harvest fruits/vegetables when ripe.
• Never intentionally feed wild animals.