Doing what’s best for local wildlife with anonymous tip lines,
rehabilitation centers and staying out of the way
Keeping wildlife safe is as easy as a phone call here in San
Benito and Santa Clara counties
– whether it is a quick tip to the Californians Turn In Poachers
and Polluters program or a call to a local rehabilitation center to
report an injured animal.
Doing what’s best for local wildlife with anonymous tip lines, rehabilitation centers and staying out of the way
Keeping wildlife safe is as easy as a phone call here in San Benito and Santa Clara counties – whether it is a quick tip to the Californians Turn In Poachers and Polluters program or a call to a local rehabilitation center to report an injured animal.
The California Department of Fish and Game set up the Californians Turn In Poachers and Polluters program in 1981 to protect resident wildlife whether from corporations or individuals. Through their toll free number, 1-888-DFG-CALTIP (1-888-334-2258), anyone can call and leave an anonymous tip about polluting or poaching that they’ve encountered. Callers who leave their contact information are even eligible for a cash reward if their information leads to a citation or an arrest.
“It’s always been out there and we promoted it heavily when we launched it,” said Troy Swauger, an information officer with DFG. “Most outdoor types are aware of it.”
Violations involving pollution can range from industrial or agricultural waste to the dumping of household waste in ways that can be injurious to fish and wildlife. The effects of pollution can be far reaching, as when someone dumps motor oil into a sewer drain. Many drains eventually empty into ocean waters and can wreak havoc for birds and marine mammals.
Poaching, another illegal activity that can be reported through CalTIP, includes hunting animals out of season or after hours, taking more fish or animals than allowed by law and the killing of protected wildlife.
Beyond that, poaching includes the illegal collection of reptiles for commercial trades, the illegal collection of duck and goose eggs from California marshlands and introducing non-native, undesirable fish such as northern pike and white bass into local lakes and rivers. While the full impact of poaching is hard to quantify because of the secrecy surrounding it, the Department of Fish and Game has documented enough poaching to believe it is a serious concern.
Those with violations to report don’t need to worry about whether their violation needs to be dealt with by state or federal agencies or if an animal is endangered or threatened. The CalTIP program investigates the calls they receive and decides how to proceed.
“Whether they are taking something out of season or dumping some sort of pollution,” Swauger said, “We will come check it out and decide if we get to keep it or if we give it to the feds (U.S. Fish and Wildlife).”
Those reporting pollution or poaching violations should include as much information as possible to CalTIP, including the name, address, age and description of the suspect, vehicle description, direction of travel, license number, type of violation and when and where it occurred. The CalTIP line is available 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
In addition to the CalTIP program, the Department of Fish and Game provides resources for locals on how to handle wildlife as the habitats of humans and creatures continue to merge. They provide a variety of fact sheets on living with California fauna such as bears, coyotes, deer and mountain lions.
One big tip the DFG emphasized, and one shared by the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center in Morgan Hill, is that baby animals on their own are often not orphans. From March to June, many animals give birth to their young and during the season many people who spot babies on their own may think they have been abandoned.
“Don’t automatically assume that they are orphans,” said Teresa Stephenson, an outreach coordinator for WERC. “Part of the life cycle is when they reach a certain age, they will be on the ground.”
Another misconception is that once baby birds or a nest are touched, the adult bird will abandon them.
“That is absolutely not true. You can replace a baby in a nest,” Stephenson said. “The best thing is to call for advice from a wildlife center. They can talk to you about the circumstances, but don’t assume they are orphans.”
If an animal is found injured and is in danger, the best thing to do is to put it in a box or bag and keep it in a dark and quiet place while calling a wildlife center for help. Keeping wild animals and trying to rehabilitate them is against the law. WERC is the only facility in south Santa Clara County that has a permit from DFG to rehabilitate wild animals. The Nan Pipestem Wildlife Center in Paicines serves San Benito County.
Even with rehabilitation centers, leaving animals in the wild unless they are injured or in danger is the best thing to do.
“It’s difficult because we have people call up and say we have been watching and we haven’t seen the mother in two days,” Stephenson said. “But hummingbirds, for instance, they are so fast you’d have to watch for an hour and not take your eyes off [the nest.] If you haven’t seen the parents in two days and the babies are still alive, the parents are around.”
For more information:
– Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center, Morgan Hill
www.werc-ca.org or 408-779-9372
– California Department of Fish and Game
www.dfg.ca.gov or 1-888-334-2258 (Cal-TIP)
– Nan Pipestem Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Paicines
www.npwrc.org or 831-628-3400
