A decade ago, we experienced a steady invasion of groundhogs at our Columbia, Missouri, home. Most chose to den beneath our deck and one died there, forcing us to remove boards to extricate its decomposing carcass. Having purchased a cage trap, I managed to relocate the others to State and County open space areas, south of town.
After closing off the borders of the deck and repairing access points along our fence, we have been groundhog free for at least five years.....until this week. Looking out our dining room window a few days ago, I was dismayed to see an adult groundhog, lounging on the hot-tub lid; when spooked, he disappeared into a burrow beneath the back steps. Needless to say, the cage trap is once again loaded with veggies and we're hoping for quick success.
We all live with wildlife in our neighborhoods, however urban our location might be. And while many of us enjoy watching those animals at nature preserves, their destructive presence in our yards or homes prompts a less than positive view of their natural behavior. In a way, we are taken back to the earliest days of human history when we had to confront wild creatures on a daily basis and when we fully understood that they are worthy adversaries.
After closing off the borders of the deck and repairing access points along our fence, we have been groundhog free for at least five years.....until this week. Looking out our dining room window a few days ago, I was dismayed to see an adult groundhog, lounging on the hot-tub lid; when spooked, he disappeared into a burrow beneath the back steps. Needless to say, the cage trap is once again loaded with veggies and we're hoping for quick success.
We all live with wildlife in our neighborhoods, however urban our location might be. And while many of us enjoy watching those animals at nature preserves, their destructive presence in our yards or homes prompts a less than positive view of their natural behavior. In a way, we are taken back to the earliest days of human history when we had to confront wild creatures on a daily basis and when we fully understood that they are worthy adversaries.
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