(Published Friday, March 30, 2007 11:28:26 PM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Ann Marie Ames Gazette staff
Her first thought was a plane had crashed into her backyard.
But that was impossible.
Perhaps the damage was done by beavers with jet packs.
Alice Babler couldn't think how any other animal could get to the fascia on her two-story home and do that much damage.
Babler found a pile of finger-sized wood splinters on the back deck of her Somerset Drive home last week. Looking up, she saw something had gnawed an inch or more of fascia away in an 8-foot strip.
"I was shocked," Babler said. "I thought a plane had crashed. But I looked around, and there was no damage in the rest of the yard."
Babler called an exterminator, who was equally stumped. He ruled out the possibility of insect damage, and the wood didn't seem to be rotten.
Babler didn't suspect squirrels, either. The damage was done to the bottom edge of the board, meaning a squirrel would have to hang upside down from the roof, stretch 8 inches down and chew up.
It turns out Babler had underestimated the power of the North American Gray Squirrel.
Friday morning, Babler caught the squirrel in the act. Taking a break from gnawing fascia, the squirrel had ripped the screen off a bathroom vent, and was "squirreling" in rear first.
Chip Lovell, the district supervisor with the United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services station in Waupun, was not surprised a squirrel was responsible for the damage.
Squirrels instinctively sense hollow cavities-like a rotted log or an attic-and try to find their way in, Lovell said.
"I don't know how they sense it, but they do," Lovell said.
Lovell recommended homeowners trim trees at least 10 feet away from rooftops to keep the furry acrobats off the roof.
"Prune or trim the tree so it doesn't overhang and there's a much larger space between the tree and the roof," Lovell said. "Remember they can jump down if they can't jump back and forth from the tree limb."
Squirrels may be caught in live traps and released, Lovell said. Releasing squirrels or other animals to another location requires permission from the property owner.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources does not permit releasing animals onto its property.
Babler called a wildlife removal service Friday, and plans to have the squirrel relocated.
"In another county would be good," she said.
What to do
For most problem animals, including squirrels, call the Rock County DNR Service Center at (608) 743-4800.
But if the problem is with bears, wolves or birds, call the United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services office in Waupun at 1-800-433-0663.
