Many residents of Lake Forest experience occasional visits from local wildlife. This is a part of our choice to live near open spaces of nature. But late night forages in trash cans, messes left behind, and the occasional “setting up camp” in or around property can make our furry neighbors a bit of a nuisance.

OC Animal Care offers the following tips to help discourage wildlife activity in your neighborhood.

• Keep pet food indoors and do not leave food of any kind outside at night. Food left out at night will be taken as a welcome invitation by wildlife, and may prompt future visits.
• Keep cats and small dogs indoors or in the close presence of an adult.
• Remove any fruit which has fallen to the ground.
• Store trash in covered, heavy-duty containers.
• Keep yards free from potential shelter such as thick brush and weeds, and enclose the bottoms of porches and decks.
• Eliminate garbage, debris, lumber piles, etc.
• Check fencing and try to eliminate access points to roof tops.
• Change automatic sprinkler settings regularly.

 By minimizing food, water, and shelter in your yard, you can help alleviate wildlife encounters and property losses. For more information, contact OC Animal Care at (949) 249-5160 or visit ocpetinfo.com.