Ten Tips For Homeowners to Winterize With Wildlife in Mind

WASHINGTON (September 15, 2003) As the temperatures turn colder,
homeowners are preparing to weather the cold winter months. The
Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the nation’s largest
animal protection organization, is offering a series of ten tips for
winterizing homes to prevent conflicts with wildlife:

1. Inspect! Inventory holes or cracks larger than ¼ inch around that
could allow animals to enter.

2. Check for loose siding or holes at the roofline. Hire someone if
you are unsure about inspecting it yourself.

3. Inside, use a bright light to inspect areas you don’t use often:
attic, basement, crawlways and closets. Then shut off the lights and
look for places where you can see daylight.

4. Look behind appliances and anywhere pipes enter the building for
potential entry points.

5. To make sure no animals are inside before you seal entries, plug
holes loosely with insulation, paper or cloth and wait a few days.

6. If the plug has been disturbed, contact a wildlife rehabilitator
or visit www.wildneighbors.org for humane methods to encourage
animals to leave.

7. If there’s no sign of wildlife, caulk small holes, staple hardware
cloth over larger ones, or make a permanent repair. Fill holes around
pipes with copper wire mesh and use expanding foam on cracks and
along leaky windows and doors.

8. Inspect your chimney to ensure it’s not home to birds or other
animals - then install a cap.

9. Secure trash containers with bungee cords, ropes, or weights.
Cover or secure compost piles.

10. Trim branches away from your house to limit access for climbing
wildlife and clean up any debris around your home’s foundation.

For More Information Contact: Rachel Querry (301) 258-8255
E-mail: rquerry@hsus.org

Jane Gardner
Administrative Assistant
The Humane Society of the United States
Mid-Atlantic Regional Office (NY, NJ, PA, DE)

Posted on SHARE Yahoo group Sep 17, 2003