Developed by our Ecology and Natural Resources program, the “Wondering About Wildlife?” blog series provides answers to frequently asked questions and concerns about the wildlife around us. This blog focuses on tips to help you minimize unwanted wildlife interactions.
Living in harmony with wildlife requires responsible actions to protect both humans, pets, and wildlife. Interacting with wildlife can be dangerous for both parties, especially when it involves feeding them or inadvertently providing them with food sources. This blog will provide essential tips to help you minimize wildlife interactions and create a safer environment for yourself, your pets, and the wildlife that makes Sarasota County their home.
Minimizing Wildlife Interactions Tips
#1 Avoid Feeding Wildlife
Although you may feel … Feeding wildlife, whether intentional or inadvertent, can lead to harmful consequences. Wildlife can become habituated to being fed, losing their natural fear of humans, or become reliant on human-provided food. This can cause food-seeking or aggressive behavior leading to potentially dangerous interactions with humans, pets, or vehicles. Human food can be unhealthy or even fatal for wildlife. Feeding wildlife can cause them to congregate in an area, which may also attract other predators. Feeding can also alter normal behaviors, such as migration and breeding. Furthermore, it is often illegal to feed wildlife, resulting in fines or legal actions. Learn more from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
#2 Eliminate Inadvertent Feeding
Pet food left outdoors, unsecured garbage, fallen tree and palm fruit, messy birdfeeders, fishing practices, and gardens and livestock, are all unintentional, or inadvertent, food sources for wildlife. This can attract wildlife including raccoons, feral cats, coyotes, bears, alligators, and invasive wildlife like iguanas or cane toads. Similar to intentional feeding this can lead to unintended, undesirable and potentially dangerous interactions with the potential for harm to people and pets. Learn more about securing attractants from FWC.
#3 Use Proper Exclusion Techniques
If you want to protect your property from wildlife intrusion, consider using appropriate exclusion techniques. Depending on the type of wildlife, size, location, and season methods such as mesh, spray foam, board, and wire fencing can be effective. However, it is crucial to treat any excluded wildlife humanely and abide by the laws and regulations governing certain protected species. Not all exclusion methods are legal, and some are not legal at certain times of the year. For instance, it is illegal to exclude bats during maternity season from April 15 to August 15. Outside of maternity season, bats are still protected by law in Florida and it is illegal to harm or kill them, but they may be excluded from structures. Each species and situation often requires its own unique solution. Learn more about excluding and deterring unwanted wildlife from UF/IFAS. You can also learn more about excluding specific species in many of our other Wondering About Wildlife blogs.
#4 Manage Your Pets Responsibly
Keep pets on a leash outdoors, and ensure they are vaccinated for rabies and other transmissible diseases. Keep cats indoors for their health and safety and for that of our native bird population. Sarasota County does have a 6-foot handheld, non-retractable leash law for pets unless they are on your own property (or private property with the owner’s permission). Many of our Sarasota County Parks do not allow pets in order to protect sensitive ecosystems or protected wildlife. Please take your pawsome fur-amily to visit a dog-friendly park (leashed) or an off-leash dog park. Learn more about how outdoor cats affect wildlife.
#5 Mind Your Outdoor Lighting
Light pollution and artificial lighting have a range of negative effects on wildlife species such as migrating birds, sea turtles, amphibians, reptiles, and insects. Choose residential lighting that avoids disturbing neighbors, community preserve areas, or the night sky, using long-wavelength red or amber lights, and lighting should be focused downward or use covers to be less obtrusive to nocturnal wildlife and minimize disturbances. Sea turtle nesting is most active in our area during the summer months, an especially important time to minimize light pollution . You can also help sea turtles and nesting shorebirds by filling in holes on the beach, staying away from marked nesting sites, and picking up litter in our coastal communities. FWC recommends “Keep it low, keep it long, and keep it shielded.” Read more about FWC wildlife lighting recommendations.
#6 Enhance Pond Habitats Responsibly
Most of our “ponds” or “lakes” in Sarasota County are engineered stormwater ponds whose main functions are to decrease flood risk and improve water quality by capturing and filtering stormwater before it enters natural water bodies. Native vegetation in and around natural wetlands and stormwater ponds can enhance nutrient uptake, water quality, and support wildlife such as fish, frogs, wading birds, turtles, and alligators. Native plants provide food and shelter for wildlife and help improve water quality for both humans and wildlife. Many community stormwater ponds may be regulated, so check with your HOA board or community management before making changes. Keep yourself, small children, and pets a safe distance of at least 10 feet from the water’s edge to prevent alligator encounters, as any freshwater is alligator habitat in Florida.
Conclusion
Minimizing wildlife interactions and respecting wildlife and their habitat is crucial for the well-being of both humans and animals. By avoiding feeding, eliminating inadvertent feeding, managing pets responsibly, using proper exclusion techniques, being mindful of outdoor lighting, and enhancing pond habitats responsibly, we can coexist harmoniously and create a safer environment for all. By respecting laws and regulations that protect wildlife and their habitats, we recognize our responsibility in their preservation.
To Learn More:
Check out all blogs in the “Wondering About Wildlife?” series
Visit the Sarasota Starter Kit: A Guide to Living on the Suncoast 30-minute webinars for new, or current residents.
Register for Neighborhood Best Practices an online, self-paced course that provides videos, fact sheets, resource links and more on topics from wildlife interactions to preservation areas, from water quality to sustainable landscapes to foster thriving, informed, and sustainable communities.
Other Series of Interest
“Wild Sarasota” blog series Enjoy blogs about identification, life history, and fun facts about our native wildlife. Accompanying webinars and resources on over 140 species of wildlife can be found at our Florida Wildlife webpage.
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