Southwest critter visitors

Some new to snowbirding can find the creatures of the Southwest's deserts a puzzlement. While they may look cute, even warm and fuzzy, having coyotes and javalinas hanging around your rig can lead to danger--particularly for pets. Here are a few tips on wildlife.

Coyotes:

Coyotes are common in rural and urban areas throughout Arizona. Coyotes tend to travel and hunt alone or in pairs, but they can form groups where food is abundant.

What Attracts Them?

• Coyotes may visit a home if they find food, water, or shelter there.
• Food can include unattended pets, birds or rodents attracted to bird feeders, pet food, garbage, or fallen fruit.
• Water sources can include a pet's water bowl or a swimming pool.
• Shelter can include a storm drain or any cave-like area beneath a shed or unused building.

What Should I Do?
If you see a coyote near your home, don't ignore it. This may cause it to lose its natural fear of people, which can eventually lead to aggressive behavior.

To discourage a coyote, immediately:

• Make loud noises.
• Shout and bang pots and pans or rattle empty soda cans with pebbles in it (coyote shaker).
• Wave your hands or objects like sticks and brooms.
• Throw small stones or cans.
• Spray the coyote with a hose.
• Use a commercial repellent like Mace, if necessary, on bold animals that refuse to leave.
  

Javelina:

Though some people think javelina are a type of wild pig, they are actually members of the peccary family, a group of hoofed mammals originating from South America. Javelinas are common in much of central and southern Arizona, including the outskirts of the Phoenix area, most of Tucson, and occasionally as far north as Flagstaff. Javelina form herds of two to more than 20 animals and rely on each other to defend territory, protect against predators, regulate temperature and interact socially. They use washes and areas with dense vegetation as travel corridors. Javelina are most active at night, but they may be active during the day when it is cold.

What Attracts Them?

• Javelinas usually visit homes to find food, water or shelter.
• Food for javelina can include lush vegetation and many flowers and succulent plants that people place around their homes. Birdseed, table scraps and garbage can also attract javelina.
• Water can be provided through chewing on irrigation hose or by drinking from a pool or other water source around a home. Javelina will also dig and roll in moist soil during summer days to keep cool.
• Shelter can take the form of a porch, an area under a mobile home, a crawlspace beneath a house, or any other cave-like area. Javelina will seek shade during summer days and warmth during the winter, if these areas are not properly secured.
  

What Should I Do?
If javelina have become a problem or have caused property damage, see the suggestions below to deal with the situation. Do your part to keep javelina healthy and wild because their removal almost always means death. Work with your neighbors to achieve a consistent solution to the problem.

To discourage a javelina, immediately:

• Scare off animals by making loud noises (bang pots, yell, stomp on the floor, etc.); throwing small rocks in their direction; or spraying with vinegar, water from a garden hose, or large squirt gun filled with diluted household ammonia (1 part ammonia and 9 parts water). The odor of the ammonia and the nasal irritation it causes will encourage the javelina to leave. Avoid spraying ammonia in the eyes as it may cause damage even at this low concentration. Ammonia should not be used around wetlands because it is toxic to fish and amphibians.
• If the animal is confined, open a gate, have all people leave the area, and allow it to leave on its own. If it is still there the following day, contact a wildlife control business or the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
• If you see javelina while walking your dog, avoid going near the javelina and quickly take your dog in a different direction.

photos: coyote--R&T DeMaris; javalina--tequilamike on flickr.com