By Nadine Robitaille
Complaints about wild animals living in downtown Ottawa are rising, say wildlife control centres.
“In the last year alone, we’ve had a 17-per-cent increase in the number of calls received,” says Donna Dubreuil, the Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre’s president.
“And that’s on top of an increase. . . of 55 per cent between 1994 and 1999.”
Dubreuil says she thinks rapid urban development could be behind the influx of squirrels and raccoons in the city centre.
She says Ottawa is under intensive development, which has created a loss in green space and natural habitat for animals. That forces them into the city.
“If you’re losing your home, you have to find another, whether you’re a raccoon or a person,” says Dubreuil.
But Marc Chubb, general manager for AAA Wildlife Control, an Ottawa-based pest control company, disagrees with Dubreuil’s explanation.
“That would only be true in Kanata, Stittsville — the suburbs,” he says. “That’s where the development is happening…not in Centretown.”
Chubb adds that wildlife living within the city is not a new phenomenon.
“The Ministry of Natural Resources tells us that there are twice as many raccoons in the cities than in the wild,”he says.
Squirrels running along telephone wires and across roads have long been familiar sights to Ottawa residents. Rabbits and groundhogs can be spotted near the canal, and raccoons and skunks are known to break into unprotected garbage cans.
Miriam Smith, the manager of emergency animal protection services of the Humane Society of Ottawa-Carleton, says animals seek out safe and easy shelter in urban homes or yards.
“There’s lots of food and there’s lots of shelter. “It’s the perfect environment really — besides all the human hazards.”
Centretown is prone to problems with wildlife due to its high number of older homes, adds Chubb.
“With older wood and brick there’s a lot better chance for animal intrusion through cracks.”
Dubreuil advises people to call the Wildlife Centre’s hotline before doing anything with any animals. An animal that is killed or relocated may have babies who could die and leave an unpleasant smell, she warns.
“The best and easiest thing to do is to learn to live with wildlife,” says Dubreuil.