Glendora Police and The Inland Valley Human Society delivered a presentation Oct. 22 in response to a growing concern on the increased presence of wildlife in residential areas.
About 33 percent of all calls Inland Valley responds on in Glendora are regarding wild animals, said Bill Harford, executive director of the Inland Valley Human Society.
IVHS, the new provider of animal care and control services for Glendora, highlighted things residents can do to make their homes and streets less attractive to wildlife.
Pet food being left unattended outdoors is reportedly still the biggest problem in attracting wildlife, Harford said.
Securing potential food sources, such as garbage cans and pet food, and keeping them away from wildlife will make the property less attractive to wild animals.
Regarding city responses to wildlife encounters, trapping and relocation of wildlife is greatly monitored by state law, except in rare circumstances, since relocation can result in the animal's premature death, as was evident in Baldwin Park recently.
Glendora officials said that city policy regarding wildlife is patterned after University of California at Davis' method of detecting aggressive animal behavior.
If animals are located on streets or in yards, efforts to persuade the creature back into the wild will be employed. If animals are seen encroaching on school grounds, or parks in midday, authorities will be more aggressive in their response to trap the animal, according to city documents.
Officials noted that residential areas continue to spread into mountain areas and other habitats for wildlife. Wild animals will seek ways to adapt to the quickly changing environment, meaning that encounters with humans will only increase.
In the future, Glendora officials may plan a community meeting to educate the public on how to lessen wildlife encounters.
