Residents asked to do their part in protecting families—pets included.
10:00am | Recent reported daytime coyote activity and the killing of household pets in the 90815 zip code—the area including the College Park and Los Altos neighborhoods, CSULB, Whaley Park and the Eldorado Park Golf Course—have prompted Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS) officers to add patrols in the morning and evening to monitor the activities of wildlife, as well as that of animal owners. Inspectors will conduct door-to-door patrols to ensure that dogs are licensed and have current rabies shots. They will also check for open trash cans and pet food or water bowls left outside. Stray animals will be impounded, and animal owners will be cited for violations until the wildlife activity abates.
Officers will also collect reports (click here to file a report) regarding both the behavior of wildlife and animal owners in designated areas to share with the police department, environmental health department, the State Fish and Game Department and the school district. Workshops or assessments may follow.
Preventative measures reduce the presence of urban wildlife.
Each spring, new litters of wildlife are born, and the parents emerge to search for food for their families. Construction in recent years has destroyed a considerable amount of natural habitat for both predators and prey, and as hungry animals become more desperate and bold, they can pose potential health and safety risks to people and their animals, according to ACS. Coyotes pose a particular threat.
“Coyotes are drawn to opportunities for food, water and shelter,” said John Keisler, ACS bureau manager. “Recent rains have made food, water and shelter more available than in past years, resulting in larger litters of wild animals. This is the season—beginning April each year—for residents to take preventative measures to reduce attractants.”
Last year, reports of coyotes led ACS to hold a Wildlife Watch workshop for residents, with a presentation by the Department of Fish and Game. A Watch has been designated for the 90815 area because the hazards have reached an emergency-level category of 4. A level-4 emergency includes an observed increase in aggressive behavior of coyotes toward adults and children and attacks on pets, including leashed animals, at night, early morning and late afternoon. Wildlife may also be observed at midday in and around children’s play areas, school grounds and parks, with children present. Keisler strongly recommends residents to do the following:
• Remove attractants (e.g. food, shelter and water) and keep pet food and water bowls indoors.
• Never allow pets to roam or leave small children unattended.
• Keep trash cans covered and secured at all times.
• Clear brush, repair screens, cover holes, and pick up fallen fruit from around the house. (Coyotes, surprisingly, have a taste for fresh fruit.)
• Immediately report any incidents involving aggressive, sick or injured wildlife to ACS at (562) 570-PETS (7387). Call 9-1-1 for any wildlife acting aggressively or strangely.
Aggressive wildlife will be removed by USDA and State Fish and Game only if preventative measures have first been taken by a community to reduce or eliminate the number of human-wildlife confrontations. Despite the fact that human “marauding” in the coyotes’ neighborhoods has led to their invading our own neighborhoods for food, you undoubtedly don’t want them to come between you and a child or beloved pet. No matter where you live, please follow the ACS recommendations, and be sure to keep your pets indoors at all times.
Click here for any questions and information about urban wildlife issues.
Pet Projects
April 22, Annual Benefit for the Animals
For a fun and entertaining evening, join Friends of Long Beach Animals (FOLBA) for its Annual Benefit for the Animals at the Long Beach Playhouse. The reception begins at 6:30 and features a delicious selection of finger food by Palming Catering and music by pianist Ralph Brunson. You will have time to browse and bid on a wide selection of silent auction items and to purchase your tickets for the raffle. At 7:30, our Hero to Animals 2010 will be introduced, followed by a performance of Agatha Christie’s The Hollow. This is always a sold-out event, so get your tickets early. Proceeds will benefit the Spay/Neuter Incentive Program (SNIP) and humane education.
Tickets are $25 and are available at the following locations:
• Belmont Pets and Launderpet, 3429 E. Broadway
• Bixby Animal Clinic, 3938 Atlantic Avenue
• Bixby Knolls Launderpet, 4102 Orange Avenue, #113
• Chewsy Dog, 4107 N. Viking Way, Chuck & Toby, 191 Park Avenue, Belmont Shore
• Go Dogs Go, 3440 N. Los Coyotes Diagonal
Help stamp out pet homelessness post-haste
Buddy, a golden retriever and Bianca, a calico cat, are two of the shelter models for the “Stamps to the Rescue” campaign. Photographed by Sally Anderson-Bruce, design by Derry Noyes. Courtesy of the U.S. Postal Service
On March 17, Ellen DeGeneres had an unusual—well, maybe not for Ellen—special guest on her popular TV talk show. U.S. Postmaster General John E. Potter joined DeGeneres to unveil images of the Animal Rescue: Adopt-a-Shelter pet stamps and to announce the “Stamps to the Rescue” promotional campaign.
The USPS is working with DeGeneres and Halo Purely for Pets—an all-natural pet-food and pet-care company co-owned by DeGeneres—to raise awareness of the number of homeless pets in U.S. shelters. Every year, 6 million to 8 million cats and dogs enter animal shelters; of that number, nearly half are euthanized.
“This is a subject that I am extremely passionate about,” DeGeneres said. “By working together, we can find good homes for millions of adoptable, homeless and abandoned pets. And until they get adopted, I’m happy to say that Halo and I are giving one million meals to shelter pets”
All the pets featured on the stamps are former shelter pets that were adopted into loving homes. For information on stamp purchase, click here.