Mitigation 

West Chester Township employs several approved techniques for the management of wildlife in Township parks. These efforts are focused primarily on geese, beaver and muskrat populations, although other species are monitored through reports from the general public.

West Chester Township park crews are trained and certified in the management of the geese population through the shaking and drilling of unhatched eggs. With an extensive population of geese in our parks, this is an effort that has been met with limited success. New approaches are regularly taken. In the development of water features in our parks, West Chester Township also carefully implements accepted design features that impact the geese population.

The beaver and muskrat population in West Chester has been limited to isolated areas. When these animals negatively impact storm water management on Township property, however, West Chester has employed the service of trappers. The primary means of controlling this species, however, has been the implementation of water control devices that can be easily manipulated to discourage beaver habitation where the effects can be adverse

Trapping and Hunting

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources endorses trapping as one of the most effective means of eliminating nuisance coyotes and other nuisance wildlife. Experts caution property owners that expertise is required to trap effectively and to avoid injury to neighborhood children and pets. They encourage property owners to hire qualified, licensed trappers.

It is also important to note that trapping or hunting won't completely eliminate the issue. Coyotes and other wildlife will continue to re-populate their territory.

Experienced trappers can be found through the internet and phone directory or through The Ohio Department of Natural Resources at (937) 372-5639, ext. 5207. 

The Ohio Administrative Code will provide helpful information with regard to hunting and trapping regulations [PDF], as well as nuisance wild animal regulations [PDF].

Coyote can be hunted anytime on your own private property with the appropriate licenses and permits. The West Chester Police Department, however, enforces Ohio Revised Code 2923.162 [PDF] with regard to discharging of a firearm and does not condone the use of a firearm in a residential community.

When is the presence of wildlife no longer just a natural occurrence, but rather an everyday issue affecting our daily lives in a negative way? Residents should always take steps (offered below) to discourage wildlife interaction.

Basic steps to ensure pet and child safety:

• Teach children not to approach or feed ANY strange animal
• Small children should not be left unattended outside
• Carry a walking stick, noisemaker, or pepper spray at night or during the early morning if walking with pets
• Keep pets on a leash.
• Check your yard before letting pets outdoors
• Go outdoors with small dogs, especially after dark
• Keep cats indoors, especially after dark
• Call the police or animal control officer if you see an animal acting aggressively

Basic steps to limit wildlife:

• Avoid feeding pets outside. If you must, feed them only for a set time during the day and remove the food bowl as soon as your pet has finished its meal
• Close all pet doors at night to exclude coyotes and wildlife from your home
• Utilize dog runs and kennels with a covered top
• Remove water bowls set outside for pets and birdbaths. In dry conditions, water can be as alluring as food
• Trim vegetation and mow tall grass to eliminate cover for coyotes and their prey
• Use enclosed and never compost meat or fish scraps
• Keep trash in high-quality containers with tight-fitting lids
• Remove fallen fruit from the ground
• Add a 6 foot fence with an 18 inch deep buried apron and roller or fence extension to prohibit coyotes from jumping over fence or digging underneath
  • Coyote roller is an extension to an existing fence; applied to the top to eliminate a coyote to clear the fence

If after removing the attractants, wildlife continues to enter an area, other steps may be necessary:

• Yell and wave arms
• Use noisemakers such as voice, whistles, air horns, bells, soda cans filled with pennies, pots and pans banged together
• Use projectiles: sticks, small rocks, cans, tennis ball, rubber balls
• Use other devices such as hoses, water guns with vinegar, spray bottles with vinegar water, pepper spray, bear repellant, walking sticks
• Use motion lighting, strobe lighting and blinking holiday lights
• NEVER ignore, turn your back on, or run from a coyote
• Maintain eye contact when using deterrent measures
• Make yourself visible as the source of harassment or potential danger when deterring a coyote,
• Increase intensity of deterrent activity until the animal leaves your area
• Do not leave until the animal is out of sight
• Repeat deterrent activity until the animal leaves for good, usually after two or three times

Wildlife experts do not recommend this type of activity if a coyote is injured, sick or has become cornered; in these situations, coyotes may act unpredictably.

Keep yourself safe. Some people are fearful of wildlife and are uncomfortable with interaction. If a resident feels personally threatened by any wild animal or public safety is at issue, the police should be notified.

Connect with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) for more information on a variety of wildlife topics. 

• Orphaned and Injured Wildlife
• Wildlife Management / Nuisance Wildlife