34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent reference for wildlife care, July 26, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: Living with Wildlife: How to Enjoy, Cope with, and Protect North America's Wild Creatures Around Your Home and Theirs (Paperback)
I am a licensed rehabilitator and I wouldn't be without this book. The in-depth information on most all North American wildlife is truly valuable for all purposes, whether one is a rehabilitator or a homeowner trying to keep lids on garbage cans.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Let the buyer beware!, May 2, 2010
This review is from: Living with Wildlife: How to Enjoy, Cope with, and Protect North America's Wild Creatures Around Your Home and Theirs (Paperback)
People need good, accurate, and useful information on resolving their problems with wildlife and, unfortunately, this book doesn't provide the best information. Now, with that said, there is a lot of good and useful information in this volume. However, it is mixed with erroneous, ineffective, and sometimes illegal advice. Which is which? Let the buyer beware!
First, this book is subtitled "How to enjoy, cope with, and protect North America's wild creatures around your home and theirs." So I expected information on raccoons, skunks, squirrels, bats, and other animals that sometimes pester gardeners and homeowners. The chapter on marine mammals (sea lions and fur seals, true seals, sea otters, whales and dolphins, and manatees), as well as a section on sea turtles seemed out of place! Yes, I understand that this can fit under the "...protect North America's wild creatures around your home and theirs." But the typical buyer will not purchase this particular book for more information on manatees or green sea turtles! Instead, they'll want to know how to get that bat out of their kitchen, or that mole out of their yard.
What's good? There's a real focus on being aware of an animal's young if you are attempting to exclude it or remove it. The focus is on the prevention of conflict instead of simply being reactive to conflict. And there are a bunch of good ideas:
- raccoon-proofing garbage cans
- instruct and remind children and others not to feed wild mammals
- use exclusion techniques with the appropriate mesh size, height above ground, and depth below ground
- appropriate pruning and planting of vegetation
- understand that removal, when the habitat is not modified, will probably result in future animals dispersing to the same site, since all the food and shelter that attracted the animal in the fist place is still there
There are also the recommendations that made me wince:
- mothballs are recommended as "repellents" throughout, without evidence that they actually work as repellents (they don't). In fact, mothballs are sold as a pesticide for moths in an enclosed space. Using them in a way contrary to the label instructions can be a violation of state and federal pesticide laws. In some states, a certified pest control advisor will lose their license for recommending their non-label use.
- skunk odor is not removed with tomato juice. Today, we know the best (and only) odor removal recipe consists of 1 quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), and 1 teaspoon liquid soap or dish detergent. Mix these together and bathe ("shampoo" in or rub down) the spray victim thoroughly. Be sure to use this mixture immediately after it is created, as it is unstable. Rinse with tap water afterward, and repeat if necessary. For spray in the eyes, flush with water as soon as possible. See your physician or veterinarian if ill effects persist.
- "sound repellents" for moles have never been shown to be effective
For coyotes, the authors note "Trapping is not particularly effective with coyotes. Nonlethal trapping, with padded jaw traps, should be attempted only with the advice and assistance of trained wildlife agencies" (p. 143). I think this piece of advice will be controversial from both sides of the fence!
Given the rescue and rehabilitation focus of the authors and the California Center for Wildlife, the suggestions for dealing with "orphaned" wildlife is probably very accurate.
There are books with more detailed information about nonlethal wildlife conflict management, such as
Wild Neighbors: The Humane Approach to Living with Wildlife,
Wildlife Pest Control Around Gardens And Homes, and
Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An old standby still has something to offer but shows its age, October 2, 2008
This review is from: Living with Wildlife: How to Enjoy, Cope with, and Protect North America's Wild Creatures Around Your Home and Theirs (Paperback)
This landmark of its genre is still a good reference work but some elements are now out-of-date. The book covers a very broad range of species; both common familiar critters and animals only seen in limited ranges or infrequently where they do occur. It clearly shows its roots in wildlife rehabilitation in its treatment of this subject and of rehabilitators' particular concerns. However, it is written for the general lay reader and as a reference for people working with the public on wildlife concerns; not specifically to educate rehabilitators. There are more current books on this topic and books more focused specifically on rehabilitation. It may still be a useful work, especially for its broad coverage for non-specialists. But newer books and web published material from authoritative sources now fills much of that demand with more recent information.
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