Wild animals

animaux-sauvages

The raccoon is a stocky animal with grey-brown fur, a color that varies depending on the region where it lives. It weighs around 15 kg but may double its weight come winter. The raccoon’s paw with its five digits looks like a human hand and gives it an impressing dexterity. This animal is able to climb a brick wall, to open garbage cans and even doors! Its home range covers about 4 square km. A nocturnal creature, it roams its territory at night to look for food or a new place in which to nestle. In the forest, it is often found in tree hollows or in abandoned dens. In urban areas, the raccoon can settle in an underfloor space, an attic, a chimney, an abandoned building, a shed, under a patio, etc. A fun fact: the raccoon may fall from a 10-m height without hurting itself.

Reproduction

The life expectancy of the raccoon is about eight years in the wild whereas in captivity, it can go up to over 20 years. The mating period runs from the month of March to the month of May. After mating, the male leaves the female to court a new female. The gestation period lasts about two months. A litter is composed typically of two to six young (also called kits). They go out looking for food with their mother after only 20 weeks. Young raccoons remain with their mother all winter and become independent the following spring. The female reaches sexual maturity in less than a year and the male, after two years.

Negative impact:

  • The raccoon can carry and transmit illnesses such as rabies, giardiasis and leptospirosis, etc. Rabies is a fatal disease for humans.
  • Considerable damage to an attic: shredded mineral wool, torn-out air ducts, damaged and even removed soffits, presence of urine and feces, etc. When such a problem is not addressed quickly, the attic must be decontaminated.
  • Scratching or rustling in the attic or in the walls.
  • Broken bird feeders, tipped-over trash and compost cans.
  • Damaged lawn, as raccoons dig holes in lawns in search of grubs and worms.
  • The raccoon can attack a hen house and kill many chickens in one night.

The grey squirrel is an arboreal rodent whose fur may be grey or black. Despite this difference in colour, it is the same species. Its body length is about 50 cm and it weighs around one pound. Its bushy tail is very useful in communicating with other squirrels and also serves to control its flight when jumping. Omnivorous, the squirrel eats nuts, seeds, small fruits and any trash it finds. It accumulates its food caches in the ground or in its nest, since it must eat every day as it is unable to store enough body fat to survive a long period without eating. The squirrel is perfectly adapted to an urban environment. Given that it is an agile climber, it can easily nest in an attic, a garden shed or any covered structure of a building.

Reproduction

The life expectancy of the squirrel is about 5 years. There are 2 breeding periods in a year, the first in February and the second in June. The gestation period is 6 weeks; the female gives birth to a litter of 2 to 6 young. It takes 8 weeks after their birth for the young to leave the nest. They become independent very early around the age of 3 months.

Negative impact:

  • Considerable damage to an attic: shredded mineral wool, damaged air ducts, chewed-through supporting beams and electrical wiring, presence of urine and feces, etc. When such a problem is not addressed quickly, the attic must be decontaminated.
  • Scratching or rustling in the attic or in the walls.
  • Damaged bird feeders, chewed trash and compost cans.
  • Chewed wood structures around the property.
  • Pillaged vegetable garden.

The common woodchuck (or groundhog), also called «siffleux» by French Canadians, is a mammal, part of the rodent family. This small animal with short limbs measures between 45 and 70 cm. Its fur is of a reddish-brown colour with hints of grey sometimes. The common woodchuck’s weight falls between 2 and 7 kg. Active during daylight, it roams its territory in search of plants, shrubs and new shoots. In an urban setting, the woodchuck can make itself quite comfortable under a garden shed or a balcony, especially when a vegetable garden is left unattended! It adores carrots, lettuce, eggplants, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc. The woodchuck lives in a den comprised of 2 to 5 entrances. At the outset of warmer spring weather, it becomes active and remains so until the fall where it starts its long hibernation until the following spring.

Reproduction

The life expectancy of the woodchuck is about 3 to 5 years. The breeding period runs between April and June. The gestation lasts only 4 weeks. The female gives birth to about 2 to 6 young woodchucks. They grow very fast and come out of the den with their mother around 6 weeks of age. Their body fat will go up quite fast in order to hibernate when winter comes.

Negative impact:

  • Pillaged vegetable garden.
  • Signs of a den on a property: a mound of soil and rocks in a yard.
  • Damaged lawn.
  • Presence of feces on the property ground.

The skunk is a small animal which weighs about 4 kg. It is easily recognizable by its bushy tail and its black fur with 2 white stripes running across its back and tail. It comes out at nightfall to find food, mainly insects, mice, bird eggs and plants. In the wild, the skunk settles into old dens left unoccupied by woodchucks and foxes. In urban settings, it shelters under garden sheds, patios, houses and even in basements when there is an opening. A characteristic unique to the skunk is its fearsome defensive weapon. If a skunk feels it is in danger, it can spray a very nauseating liquid as far as about 6 meters. The smell is so strong it can cause nausea and burning eyes.

Reproduction

The breeding period runs between February and March. The gestation lasts on average 2 months. The female gives birth to a litter of 2 to 6 young. The kits are weaned about 8 weeks after birth and follow their mother at night to look for food. They stay with their mother until fall when skunks look for deeper dens where to spend winter.

Negative impact:

  • Nauseating smell around the property.
  • The skunk can carry and transmit rabies which is a fatal disease for humans.
  • Pillaged vegetable garden.
  • Tipped-over trash and compost cans.
  • Damaged lawn as skunks dig holes in lawns in search of grubs and worms.
  • A skunk that is surprised by a pet or a human may spray without warning.