Los Angeles features a diverse wildlife population that you can cross paths with during any given week. These wildlife encounters may initially inspire panic—but don’t worry. Knowing the different types of wild animals that inhabit Los Angeles, their behaviors, and how you can address a wildlife infestation will help facilitate a proper response to an encounter.

 Skunks

You’re most likely to spot a skunk at night time as they forage around garden and lawn areas scouting for food. Skunks tend to flee dangerous situations—but they will stand their ground when they feel threatened.

Summer is when skunk families are most active since young skunks tend to be born in the spring. Feeding skunks is discouraged in Los Angeles because it increases the likelihood of disease transmission and the attraction of other predators. You can decrease your likelihood of drawing skunks to your property by eliminating possible hiding places like wood piles, securing trash can lids, and removing fallen fruits or vegetables from your yard.

Sudden movements may spook a skunk and lead to them to spray you. Your best move is to slowly back peddle during an encounter and exit the area.

 Raccoons

Raccoons are similar to skunks in the sense that they’re not typically active during the day. Los Angeles property owners may experience yard or home damage from raccoons as the creatures search for food and a place to nest. This damage is possible, as raccoons are some of the strongest wild animals around.

More common forms of raccoon home damage include one or more raccoons tearing shingles off of a roof. Sealing entry points to home areas like your attic is essential when you’re looking to deter raccoons.

Squirrels

Tree squirrels and ground squirrels are no strangers to Los Angeles. You’ll find that tree squirrels are active during the day year-round since they don’t hibernate. Ground squirrels will hibernate for several months during the course of a year inside of their burrows, which can be destructive to their surrounding environment.

Property damage from Los Angeles squirrels may consist of garden damage and chewing on sprinkler heads or irrigation lines. You can protect your property from squirrel damage by placing wire mesh over plant beds, pruning branches, and sealing attic entry points.

 Opossums

Opossums are one of Los Angeles’ most infamous scavengers. Garbage cans and dumpsters are a primary opossum rummaging target. Signs of opossum presence within a Los Angeles property include:

• Tipped over trash cans
• Droppings
• Thumping noises in an attic or below a house
• Five-fingered footprints/five-toed footprints

Securing your property’s trash lids, eliminating property hiding spots, and picking up fallen fruit and birdseed are a few protective strategies you can implement in an effort to minimize your chances of running into an opossum.

Bats

You’ll find a wide variety of bat species within the Los Angeles area. Some of the more common Los Angeles bat species include:

• Mexican Free-Tailed Bats
• California Myotis Bats
• Hoary Bats
• Western Pipistrelle Bats

Bats tend to avoid humans, but they may enter your home in an effort to follow insects. Spotting one bat within your home can indicate the presence of more bats in places like your attic. An infected bat can transmit rabies through a bite.

Snakes

Los Angeles features a wide variety of venomous and harmless snakes. Dangerous snakes in Los Angeles can include rattlesnakes, copperheads, or pit vipers, while snake species like garter or rat snakes won’t pose a threat. If you encounter a snake, you can back up slowly and keep your pet safe when walking outdoors with a leash.

Remove Any of These Wild Animals in California with Animal Capture Wildlife Control

Animal Capture Wildlife Control is your answer when you’re looking to remove any of the listed animals from your Los Angeles property. Our expert-lead wildlife removal services provide:

• Humane trapping
• Animal relocation
• Dead animal removal
• Property damage inspection
• Nest clearing

Always effective, ethical, and timely—Animal Capture Wildlife Control covers your animal removal needs from start to finish with safe relocation, deodorization and decontamination, and preventative maintenance that can help you avoid future run-ins with these mentioned species.

You can protect yourself from wild animal disease transmission and injuries by giving Animal Capture Wildlife Control a call at 310-551-0901, so we can professionally handle your wild animal removal needs.