Living With Urban Wildlife classes begin this week
What: The Arizona Game & Fish Department, in conjunction with the Tucson Audubon Society and Tucson Botanical Gardens, is offering free education programs to help understand how to live with wildlife. The 90-minute program will focus on human-wildlife coexistence in Tucson and surrounding areas. It will include behavior of common mammals, birds, reptiles and insects; how to avoid attracting unwanted wild animals; and gardening and landscaping principles that can attract and support desired wildlife.
Northwest Side classes are:
● 7 p.m. today at Pima County Parks & Recreation, 3500 W. River Road.
● 1 p.m. Monday at the Western Monuments Bookstore, 12880 N. Vistoso Village Drive, Oro Valley.
● 7 p.m. Tuesday at Pima County Parks & Recreation, 3500 W. River Road.
People are also reading…
● 6:30 p.m. next Thursday in the Oro Valley Police Department training room, 11000 N. La Cañada Drive.
● 6 p.m. May 10 at Mason Audubon Center, 8751 N. Thornydale Road. (Limit 20. Please RSVP at 744-0004.)
Classes are free. Call: Libby Czopek at 326-9686, Ext. 29 for more information.
You can avoid rabies exposure by taking these simple precautions
The Arizona Department of Health Services recommends the following precautions to avoid exposure to rabies:
● Keep people and pets away from wild animals. Never leave pet food in your yard, because it will attract wild animals.
● Do not pick up, touch, or feed wild or unfamiliar animals, especially sick or wounded ones. If bitten, scratched or in contact with the animal, wash the wound or area well with soap and water and report it immediately to Animal Control or health officials.
● Do not "rescue" seemingly abandoned young wild animals. Usually, the mother will return. If the mother is dead or has not returned in many hours, call the Arizona Game and Fish Department in Tucson at 628-5376.
● Vaccinate all dogs and cats against rabies. Pets should be kept in a fenced yard.
● Take precautions when camping, hunting or fishing. Avoid sleeping on the open ground without the protection of a closed tent or camper. Keep pets on a leash and do not allow them to wander. Wear impermeable gloves when skinning carcasses.
● Do not disturb roosting bats. If a bat is on the ground, do not touch it. Place a box over the bat to contain it. Be careful not to damage the bat in any way, since it must be intact for rabies testing. Report the bat and its location to Pima Animal Care Center at 743-7550.
● Teach children not to handle or touch sick or injured animals, including bats.
For more information about rabies, call the Pima Animal Care Center or the Arizona Department of Health Services, Vector-Borne & Zoonotic Disease Section at 602-364-4562.
