Hollister
– County Administrative Officer Susan Lyons will recommend
against obtaining the services of a US Department of Agriculture
agent to respond to complaints about wild animals ranging from
coyotes in rural areas to opossums in the city of Hollister, citing
the county’s $4.8 million budget shortfall.
San Benito County Supervisors recently had an item on their
agenda to reestablish a program to trap or kill wild animals deemed
a nuisance by the USDA. However, the item was tabled last week so
Lyons could look into whether the county could afford to fund
it.
Hollister – County Administrative Officer Susan Lyons will recommend against obtaining the services of a US Department of Agriculture agent to respond to complaints about wild animals ranging from coyotes in rural areas to opossums in the city of Hollister, citing the county’s $4.8 million budget shortfall.
San Benito County Supervisors recently had an item on their agenda to reestablish a program to trap or kill wild animals deemed a nuisance by the USDA. However, the item was tabled last week so Lyons could look into whether the county could afford to fund it.
On Friday, Lyons said that she would not recommend that the county enter into the agreement because of it’s projected budget deficit.
“I wouldn’t recommend it based on fiscal impact,” she said. “I have a huge budget shortfall to fill.”
The county had a similar program until 2001, said former Supervisor Ruth Kesler, but it discontinued it because of funding problems. Interest in the program was renewed recently because of ongoing complaints made by county homeowners and landowners about wild animals destroying property, said Agricultural Commissioner Paul Matulich.
An annual contract to have a USDA agent stationed in San Benito County would cost $75,700. Forty-three percent of that would be paid by the USDA, leaving the county to pay about $43,000, most of which would return to the county in the form of unused state gas taxes. The county would end up paying about $7,000 per year, Matulich said.
In urban areas in the county raccoons, skunks and opossums create a nuisance for residents because they damage property, destroy plants and are sometimes aggressive and diseased, Matulich said.
“Skunks have a terrible reputation of carrying rabies,” he said.
In more rural areas, coyotes kill pets and livestock – recently killing several goats on the outskirts of the city. Wild pigs destroy crops and grass, Matulich said.
“The pigs raise hell in the grapes,” he said.
Wild pigs, opossums and skunks are a constant nuisance for the maintenance staff at San Juan Oaks Golf Club, which is continually having to repair patches of grass destroyed by the animals, said Bill Gonzales who works in the pro shop at the club.
“It happens often. When they feel like the ground is wet enough they come down on the fairway looking for grubs,” he said.
For now, county residents are on their own when it comes to dealing with wild animals on their property. In Hollister, city animal control officers receive about one call per day from residents who want someone to come out and remove an animal from their property, but animal control cannot respond to wild animal calls, said Animal Control Supervisor Julie Carreiro.
“Our shelter is a domestic animal shelter,” she said. “We don’t deal with wild animal calls. Basically you’re on your own.”
However, if a homeowner is able to trap a smaller animal, like a skunk or an opossum, and bring it to the shelter animal control will euthanize the animal for $35.
Luke Roney covers politics and agriculture for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at [email protected]
