Who better to tell us about local wildlife than a town animal control officer? Melinda MacKendrick, an animal control officer for 30-plus years and still counting, shared her perspective and practical advice at a recent Westborough Community Land Trust (WCLT) meeting. She currently serves in Westborough and Grafton and has also served in Northborough.
Noting that we share our local natural environment with more wild animals than most people realize, Officer MacKendrick offered reassuring words about these wild neighbors. Overall, call types to Animal Control vary by season. A little less than half are typically about wildlife. Currently, the majority of her wildlife calls are about raccoons (Procyon lotor) and coyotes (Canis latrans var). This will change as the seasons change. The calls usually come from people who worry when they’ve spotted a raccoon or coyote during the day, or have found a baby raccoon.
“Raccoons are NOT strictly nocturnal. It’s normal for them to be out during the day. It does NOT mean they are sick,” Melinda said. She explained that raccoons sleep up to 8 times in 24 hours, for a few hours at a time. In spring, they’re often out in the day, searching for food for their young. In summer-fall, young raccoons venture out and leave their family. “You don’t need to be concerned just because raccoons are living or nesting on your property.”…