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Show i :',' i,IM v'fM ( ; Riccooa Mm Mmpmi By GARY R. BLODGETT News Editor BOUNTIFUL -- Just like there's more than one way to skin a cat, there's more than one way to catch a raccoonor any other wild animals. AND BELIEVE it or not, there are plenty of raccoon up in them thar Bountiful hills, according to Jay Thalman, Bountiful's animal control officer for the past 18 months. "I think there are at least 500 raccoons in these foothills," Jay said. "And that's a conservative con-servative estimate from what I have observed in the past." HE SAID 36 of the smart little rascals have been captured this year, compared to more than 50 last year. "And there are many, many more that have gotten away." Jay rates the raccoon as the smartest of all wild animals in these parts -- and very difficult to catch when they get into the residential areas. "A LOT OF the blame placed on dogs for killing small animals and upsetting garbage cans should belong to the raccoon," he said emphatically. "They will eat almost anything and it's hard to keep food from them when they get hungry." He said they like to keep warm by climbing down chimneys. "I'VE FOUND as many as five in one chimney chim-ney at a time," he said. "And it took a lot of imagination, and effort, to get them out." Jay told of using an electrical hair blower -lowered down the chimney on a long extension cord from the rooftop as one means of flushing out the little rascals. "THEY DON'T like hot air blowing on them and it didn't take long to get four of the five little rascals out," he said. "To get the fifth one out, we had to lower an electrical drill do wn the chimney. They don't like a lot of noise either." An oversized fish net is used to "run down" some of the raccoons they capture. Traps are also used but it takes a special device to spring the trap door because raccoons are so fast, and smart, that they grab the food and still escape the trap. Tear gas has also been used on occasion. JAY RELATED one story about a Bountiful 1L family that reported food being stolen from their kitchen cupboards and found that a raccoon rac-coon had entered their home through a vent in the fireplace-then opened the cupboard, took food, and closed the cupboard door behind him. "It took the homeowner several days to discover dis-cover the little culprit," Jay said. RACCOONS have also been known to enter chicken coops by unlatching doors or windows wired shut, Jay noted. But smart and cute as they are, they can be very dangerous if challenged by man or beast. "They will attack you if threatened and I once had to shoot one," said Jay. RACCOONS will occasionally wander deep into a residential area, although most are found among residences bordering the hillside, the animal control officer explained. He said that in the past one and one-half years raccoon have been found as far west as 200 West and 400 North, Bountiful, and within a block of City Hall. Continued on page two a Rascal Raccoon Rmb Rampant I Continued from front page SKUNKS, BEAVER and rats have also been a nuisance to Bountiful area homeowners. About Ab-out 50 skunks a year are reportedly caught in Bountiful by State Wildlife personnel. Badgers and beaver also have been found in lesser numbers. num-bers. "When caught, the wild animals are removed re-moved to an undisclosed area quite a distance from their regular habitat," said Jay. "If we returned them to the Bountiful hills they would beat us back to town." HE STRESSED that skunk is a pesky animal to capture and when caught are usually taken into the hills and killed. He warned residents that it's illegal to fire a weapon within the city limits -- even to kill a skunk. Jay also disclosed a "tricky method" of capturing cap-turing a skunk without getting sprayed. WHEN YOU find evidence of a skunk, place a board plank leading up to a garbage can filled three-quarters full of water. Then place some tuna fish on a small piece of wood floating in the can. "As the skunk reaches out to get the tuna fish, it usually will lose balance and fall into the can of water. Since it cannot swim, it will drown - without leaving an odor," he said. BUT A SIMPLER method is to rent from the city a skunk trap, a special trap designed to prevent the skunk from being able to raire its tail. "Since a skunk cannot spray without raising rais-ing its tail, you have it made, but just be careful," care-ful," he stressed. Rats, muskrats and beaver are other "bothersome animals" which usually live along the creek banks. These animals are more . ! 111 easily caught by using a standard, baited trap that can be rented from the city for a $25 deposit. de-posit. The deposit will be returned upon return i3 of the trap. :''a "i HARD WINTERS the past few years have driven deer into the populated areas, creating a , nuisance when the deer eat the foilage and are ';t often attacked by dogs, Jay noted. , iSl Stray dogs, of course, take up most of the -f time of an animal control officer. ;i ii OCCASIONALLY, Jay will receive an unusual un-usual call to "remove a 2,500-pound bull from j ;d a back yard," or to "lasso stray horses that -U have wandered from a nearby pasture." Mountain lions are seldom seen in the val-ley, val-ley, but several Red Fox have been spotted "Mi near residences but have thus far caused no problem, Jay admitted. ;' J'ii .'Ml HE SAID the most unusual "find" of a stray j dog was a Springer-Dalmation which had been fik left tied to a utility pole with a note fastened to ':sm its neck. The note gave the dog's name and listed all 'Jf, its characteristics and needs. The note was e signed, "Love, Sophie." "I TOOK the dog to the pound and watched , V with interest until a family adopted the dog and ; ' took her home," Jay said with a smile. i :i He stressed, however, that all animals -- in-ij eluding dogs and raccoons-are cute when they i are little but change as they get bigger. i h:x) "IF YOU PLAN on owning a pet, plan for caring for it during its entire life. Don't playn, with it while it's little and then cast it out when it gets big," he pleaded. |