April 7, 2005

Almaden Valley Community Association News

OPINION

What should we do with Almaden’s wild animals?

By Lee Dimmitt
President AVCA
Special to the Times

For me, cohabitation had a slightly scandalous meaning about living the wild life; but after moving to Almaden its meaning is more about living with the wildlife.

Our area has a myriad of wild animals—deer, wildcats, mountain lions, coyotes, possums, raccoon, skunk, wild boar, wild turkey, foxes, even saw a chipmunk in Quicksilver Park the other day—trying to exist in the same space as our Almaden dwellers. Deer are spotted quite frequently in our residential areas.

One woman in the Woodside neighborhood called the police several times complaining about vandals destroying her budding flowers; but after a little stake-out she discovered that it was deer munching in her garden. Wild boar a few years ago devastated a front lawn on the corner of Harry and Grandwood. It was sighted on several nights entering the neighborhood with several baby boars following single file down the sidewalk foraging for food.

While most wild animals prefer the more rural habitat, coyotes are urbanizing or losing their normal desire to stay in their adjacent habitat. For instance, these so-called prairie wolves have urbanized themselves over the past several years in the Villas area of Almaden, and seem to have lost their fear of humans. These urbanized coyotes change from nocturnal to daytime activity making them more menacing to small children and pets. There are many reports of the animal’s intimidating presences, even one report of the stalking of an elderly couple walking with a child in a stroller—definitely a problem.

Starting in April they will emerge from their winter dens with the alpha female leading the way to menace our neighborhoods.

The next meeting of the Almaden Valley Community Association will address this problem. We have invited Kriss Costa, Santa Clara County Vector Control public relations officer, to hear our concerns, answer questions and show us how to curb the urbanization of the wildlife existing in our cohabitating Almaden Valley, on Monday, April 11 at 7 p.m. at the McDonalds Restaurant at Almaden Expressway and McAbee. Check our Web site, www.avca-sj.org, for more information, and bring your concerns and experiences.