Gates Wildlife Control is extremely honoured and excited to announce that we won the Contractor Of The Year Award 2019

This was the 2nd annual awards that celebrated the entrepreneurial spirit in Canada and recognized some of the countries rising stars. From start-ups to established enterprises, across the full spectrum of industries, who have demonstrated their industry leadership and determination to succeed.

We were anonymously entered to be considered for the award and are very appreciative to whomever did so on our behalf. Gates Wildlife Control wouldn’t be where it is today without our loyal customers and followers, we are very honoured to have all of your support. I would also like to take a moment to thank the amazing team I have at Gates Wildlife. All of your hard work has not gone unnoticed and I would like to express my deepest gratitude for each and every one of you. You truly make Gates Wildlife Control what it is today, I am honoured to work with such a great group of people.

Thank you so very much!

Why Do Raccoons Have Ringed Tails?

Raccoons are easily identified by their characteristic black eye mask and ringed tail. Even at birth the rings on their tails are slightly visible.

In the animal kingdom, fur patterns and colouration have evolved over time usually as a benefit to the particular animal. Sometimes it is a matter of blending into an environment, making the animal more difficult to see against a typical background. Like the way that the dull colouration of female birds blends into their surroundings when sitting on their nest. It can also create optical confusion, similar to how a zebras stripes confuse their predators. 

It is possible that a raccoons stripes are meant to create optical confusion. When you consider that they are nocturnal and their predators are hunting under low light conditions, the tail may standout as the raccoon is attempting to escape. With the striped tail standing out this could cause the predator to attack the tail, the least vulnerable part of the raccoon. This would give the raccoon the best chance for escape.

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.

Gates Wildlife recieved a call regarding a Red Tailed Hawk that was caught in bird netting meant to keep pigeons from nesting on a balcony.

A concerned tenant had noticed the bird hanging in the netting and called our office immediately. Kieran was able to untangle the hawk from the netting, while inspecting to see if he was injured. Thankfully, this Red Tailed Hawk was unharmed and was released onsite by Kieran.

It is likely that this hawk was chasing after a pigeon and ended up getting caught in the netting on the balcony in the process.

We are extremely happy to announce a happy ending to this emergency rescue!

Mustaches For Movember

During the month of November our team at Gates Wildlife Control has been fundraising and growing mustaches to support this great foundation.

Gates Wildlife is extremely proud to announce we raised $1635 this month, surpassing our target! We would like to thank each and every one of you that donated, it is greatly appreciated.

We will also be donating $5 for every review that was posted on our Homestars and Google account this month. That will be added to our team donations tomorrow! 

Thank you everyone for supporting us this Movember!

Why do raccoons and squirrels thrive in urban environments?

Living in a city provides certain animals with three main luxuries that their more wild neighbours simply do not have. For starters a city animal has less predators to worry about, such as coyotes, foxes and owls. There is also a tremendous variety and abundance of food available whether it be our garbage, handouts or the planted garden variety. Urban living also offers an abundance of den site opportunities in the way of attics, chimneys etc. By tearing and chewing their way into roof tops, city animals can stay safe from predators and be close to food sources.

These urban environment luxuries provide for a less stressful and longer life for urban animals than that of their forest living counterparts. Living longer means a reproductive female will be able to produce more offspring during her life time. Combining a longer life with easy access to food also results in healthier females giving birth to larger litters. It is more typical to see litter sizes of 5 to 7 offspring with city animals where litter sizes in the wild are only 2 or 3. It is for these reasons we see much higher populations in species like raccoons and squirrels in city neighbourhoods than is seen in the wild.

Animals do not make a conscious decision to live in the city but often urban development forces their hand. Raccoons and squirrels are quick to take advantage of the new resources available to them and if given the opportunity to return to the wild there would be no turning back. Continuous studies have shown that trying to relocate city animals back into the wild results in a low probability of survival. This is probably due to the fact that they have become so accustom to city living that have lost their ability to adapt to the harder way of life in the wild.

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.

This past weekend our office received an email from a concerned customer. They believed to have “something” in the wall that was eating away at the drywall. She mentioned that her husband knocked lightly and his fist went through the drywall.

When Gates Wildlife Technician Nick arrived on site, he decided to start his inspection by looking at the interior wall where the customer was hearing the noice. They had covered the area with newspaper and duct tape for the time being, while they awaited their appointment with us. Nick pulled back the duct tape, which peeled off the rest of the paint on the wall, revealing this rather large wasp nest! Although the nest was not active at this time of year, Nick recommended a pest control company to the customer to have the nest removed.

From time to time we will receive calls from customers that describe noise as “an animals snoring.” It is common for homeowners to describe the buzzing of wasps inside their nest as “snoring.”

The following is the review we received from this very customer on HomeStars:

“Nick came (was running late due to weather conditions and called to let us know) and inspected the infested area. We thought it was a squirrel inside the wall and it turns out it was a wasp nest. Because it wasn’t wildlife, they were unable to remove the nest but there was no charge for the service. Nick was very professional and knowledgeable, giving us recommendations for pest control companies to contact. I would definitely use this company for all my wildlife removal again.”

Thank you to our customer for writing such a kind review about Gates Wildlife Technician Nick and our company on HomeStars.

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.

Mustache Monday

During the month of November, Gates Wildlife will be donating $5.00 for every review that is posted about our company.

To help us reach our goal, we would appreciate receiving a review from anyone who has used our services over the years. It would mean a lot to us if you could take one minute to tell us how we did on our HomeStars account at https://bit.ly/2NyF81q

Over the years, we have come across many homeowners that take solving wildlife problems, into their own hands. Most DIY attempts have to do with keeping the animals from getting on the roof rather than addressing the problem properly.

In one instance I witnessed where a homeowner experiencing a raccoon problem in their attic spend a few thousand dollars cutting down fifty year old trees around their house. This was done in an attempt to prevent a raccoon from climbing up the trees, onto the roof and into the attic. The next morning the mother raccoon was seen climbing up the brick wall to get back to her newborn babies.

More barbaric DIY attempts include placing boards with nails, spikes and even barb wire (see picture) on the paths traveled by wildlife. On many occasions these inhumane methods are used during the spring months when the adult mother, come hell or high water, will endure anything to return to her young. Proof of the animals’ injuries is sometimes evident in the traces of blood on the roof.

While I do understand how wildlife intrusions present homeowners with anxiety, sleep deprivation, health and safety concerns and repairs, it does not warrant being inhumane. It is not the animals’ intent to be destructive or harmful.

Simply put, the sensible way to deal with an unwanted wildlife tenant is to get them out and keep them out. Without removing the animals first and then securing how they got is nothing more than a band-aid approach to wildlife control. Of course, release on-site, keeping the family unit together and animal proofing are all components of a scientifically sound humane approach to solving wildlife intrusions.

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.

Playing Possum

Playing dead is a survival strategy performed by hundreds of different species, including lemurs, lizards, ants and sharks. But why do animals do this? This bizarre behaviour, know as tonic immobility (TI) or catatonia can be used as a defence or offence.

Since most predators avoid dead or rotting animals displaying catatonia is usually enough to keep predators from killing and eating them. An opossum for example, assumes an odd body posture, sticks out its tongue, drools and oozes a foul smelling liquid from its anal gland. Disgusted, the predator usually decides it’s not the meal it was looking for and leaves. After a few minutes the opossum jumps up and heads on its way.

Animals also play dead in order to catch prey. There is a species of beetle that pretends to be dead and is carried away by ants to their ant nest. Once inside, the beetle springs back to life and feeds on the ant larvae.

Another form of immobility is called clipnosis. A mother cat will pick up their babies by pinching the napes of their neck with their teeth, causing them to hang lifeless and quiet. This induced behaviour avoids attracting unwanted attention from predators when transporting them from one den site to another.

Humans can also experience tonic immobility when they freeze when confronted by a potentially violent attack. An example of this would be if a grizzly bear was to rush towards you unexpectedly invoking this involuntary form of self defence. This counter intuitive behaviour of not fleeing or fighting is not totally understood. 

The animal kingdom has so much to teach us, I cannot wait!

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.

"Thank you for saving me, but can you please put me down now"

After chewing a golf ball size hole into a roof, Red squirrels will venture deep into the structure of a house. Because of their small size they can access the walls of a house by following the holes drilled in the studs to run electrical wires. This can cause serious problems.

When an animal is confined to the attic, any damage can be fixed by accessing the attic. When a red squirrel chews on wires behind walls or between floors the drywall needs to be removed in order to find the problem. This can prove to be very costly.

On occasion a red squirrel will travel so far into the structure of a house it forgets how to get back out. It may find its way into the basement of the house, as this one in the picture did, or it may starve to death and die behind the walls, creating a whole new set of challenges.

Of all the species, Red squirrels are the most challenging for us to solve. Therefore, if a Red squirrel or any animal for that matter moves into your home get them evicted humanely ASAP.

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.

Mustaches For Movember

Gates Wildlife is raising funds and awareness this Movember for all the dads, brothers, sons and mates in our lives.

For over 35 years, Gates Wildlife has been committed to preserving and saving the lives of animals. In keeping with the philosophy of saving lives, we feel it is fitting to join forces in supporting this cause.

Our team at Gates Wildlife is growing mustaches during the month of November to support the cause. We have set up our team donation page on the Movember site. We welcome donations of any amount to help us achieve our target.

Our Movember Page: https://moteam.co/gates-wildlife-control?mc=1

What is Movember? 

Movember is the leading charity tackling men’s health on a global scale. Men’s health is in crisis. Men are dying on average 6 years earlier than women, and for largely preventable reasons. 

Unchecked, prostate cancer rates will double over the next 15 years. Testicular cancer rates have already doubled in the last 50. And across the world, one man dies by suicide every minute of every day, with males accounting for 75% of all suicides. 

Movember is uniquely placed to address this crisis on a global scale. They fund groundbreaking projects all over the world.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Bats are eternally linked to Halloween, but does anyone know why?

There are a few different theories including one that states it is because they are nocturnal, which is usually associated with death and darkness. “They engage in mysterious activities in the dark so they have been cloaked in superstition since ancient times,” said Stanford University classics scholar Adrienne Mayor.

Another theory is that it started long ago when the ancient Celtics lit large bonfires to ward off the evil spirits of the night. As the bonfires burnt into the night, the glow and warmth of the fire attracted mosquitos and other flying insects to the area. In turn, the flying insects attracted hungry bats. The dark, fast moving shapes, being the bats, embodied spirits of the returning dead to the Celtics and the symbol of the bat became embedded in the roots of Halloween.

We hope you all have a spooky Halloween and maybe even see a bat or two tonight!

Caught Red (or Dirty) Handed

Our office has been receiving a lot of calls about wildlife, specifically raccoons, entering into open buildings that are under construction. 

As winter approaches wildlife are looking for a warm den site and when they come across a building that is under construction, they will happily welcome themselves inside. Unfortunately for the construction company, there is no easy way to keep the wildlife out until the building is completely closed in.

Our company is often called upon to remove animals from buildings under construction to prevent them from being locked inside when the building envelope is sealed. We can often apprehend a raccoon using our catch pole and place them in a trap for safe transport outside. In these situations our company policy is to release the raccoon, or any other animal on site, usually in the backyard.

We also receive calls from homeowners witnessing wildlife on their property, requesting the trapping and relocation of the animal, even though the animal is just passing by. Legally, in Ontario, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation act stipulates that wildlife can only be relocated up to 1km from the capture site.

The majority of the public thinks that if the problem animal is trapped and relocated and the number of animals in the neighbourhood is ultimately reduced, then the problem will go away. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

The vacancy created by moving an animal out of the neighbourhood presents an opportunity for other animals in the vicinity to move in to take advantage of the existing food and shelter. Since no overall reduction in the number of animals will be achieved in the long run, trapping and relocation is nothing but an exercise in futility and a waste of time and money. 

Below are a list of reasons why trapping and relocation should not be used as a method of wildlife control.

• Trapping creates orphans by taking a mother animal away from her dependent offspring.

• Wildlife will do anything to escape the confinement of the trap, often causing serious self-injury and sometimes death.

• Relocating wildlife away from their known food sources and shelter causes stress and starvation.

• Studies have shown that trapped animals can die of stress related causes even days after being released.

• Dumping wildlife into the territory of another animal can end up in vicious territorial fights over food and shelter.

• Transferring a sick animal into a population of healthy animals spreads infectious diseases.

• Exposure to adverse weather conditions and inconsistent monitoring of the traps while confined can kill the animal.

Please speak-out against the inhumane use of traps as a means of wildlife control!

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.

“Excuse me, some of us are trying to sleep in here!

This raccoon had entered the attic by pulling down a piece of the soffit above the downspout, making for an easy transition inside. While I was inspecting the entry hole, I heard some noise coming from further down in the soffit. When I looked inside, this raccoon was staring right back at me. She stayed in the soffit the entire time while I installed our one-way-door on the entry hole.

Upon my return a few days later, the homeowner reported seeing two raccoons exit the one-way-door and go on their way to an alternate den site. This pair was potentially a mother and her baby.

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.

Barred From Chalo FreshCo

Our Vancouver office received a call last week regarding an owl inside the storage area of a grocery store. One of their technicians was dispatched immediately to respond to the call.

The Barred owl was caught in a net and was safely brought to the ground. The final step was to release the owl outside. Once placed on the ground, the owl took a few moments to adjust to his surroundings and then flew off.

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.