Gates Wildlife Control
445 Midwest Rd. Unit 10 M1P 4Y9 Toronto, ON, Canada

Hands Up Baby Hands Up! Baby squirrels start exploring outside the nest around 6 weeks of age and are ready to be on their own at 10 weeks of age. When baby squirrels emerge from their den site for the first few times, they may be frozen with fear confused what to do. They can sometimes be seen hanging on to the walls of houses, downspouts, fences etc. Although they may seem stuck, they are just not quite sure what their next move should be. Over time they will learn how to m...aneuver themselves and will learn by watching their mom. Squirrels are equipped with such long fingers which are designed to aid in climbing trees but also suit them well for traversing brick walls, roof tops and attic spaces. Photo taken by Gates Wildlife Technician Nick. It is best just to give them some space and soon they will figure out how to be acrobats.

You’re telling me this isn’t a hallow tree? Our newest YouTube video is now uploading! Watch it soon on our channel

Just 5 more minutes, I promise! This red baby squirrel was discovered by Gates Wildlife Technician David.

Happy Earth Day From All of Our Furry Critters to YOU! Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. Earth Day celebrations over the last half-century have included incredible efforts: millions of trees planted, hundreds of miles of coastline cleaned, tens of thousands of people biking to school and work from a given country. These impactful initiatives are all successful thanks to the power of individual actions. Earth Day is ...a reminder that we have the ability to create real change as individuals and communities. We can build the future that we strive for - one where oceans thrive free from plastic pollution, forest ecosystems buzz with biodiversity, and wildlife populations flourish around the world. - ifaw.org What did you do for Earth Day? Photo taken by Gates Wildlife Technician Nick.

Snug as a Bug These babies and their mom were cuddled in the attic of a home in Maple, Ontario. Typically when we go up into an attic, the mother raccoon will either run to another area or bury their heads in an area to hide. In this case, the mother was confined to the space she was in and could not move from that spot. You can see her tail by the babies in the photo.... Photo taken by Gates Wildlife Technician Nick.

Chirping In Your Attic? It might be a litter of baby raccoons! A lot of our customers will describe the crying of baby raccoons as birds chirping. When their mother goes out to forage for food at night, they will start to cry out for her. Coincidently this is usually around 4am when you are trying to sleep! It is very important to hire a humane wildlife control company to deal with your animal intrusion to ensure the family is kept together and that no animal is harmed in the process.

Just Discovered: Baby Squirrels Gates Wildlife Technician Blake found a litter of baby squirrels half way down a chimney. He was able to reach the babies and bring them outside for the mother to collect.

RESCUED! Gates Wildlife Technician Kieran rescued a raccoon from a high rise building that was under construction in Toronto on Monday. The raccoon was 20 storeys up! Kieran was able to catch the raccoon in his net and place him in the trap for transport to the ground.... Although the raccoon was on the balcony for quite a few days before we were called out to help, he was completely healthy and was released beside the building on the ground. The media refers to the raccoon as a baby but it is a full sized adult. Great job Kieran! https://torontosun.com//baby-raccoon-rescued-from-toronto-

What’s the average litter size? Most litters that we come across will consist of 3-5 baby raccoons. On other occasions we will find larger litter sizes of up to 11 babies. This litter of 7 baby raccoons was discovered by Gates Wildlife Vice President Pete yesterday!

What’s in the bag? We responded to a call about a bat hanging on an exterior wall of a home. We will post a second video of where the bat was located! The bat is healthy and will be released into the wild.

Our newest YouTube video was featured on RightThisMinute. They did an amazing job recapping this job! Click the link below to see the video: https://www.rightthisminute.com//bird-trapped-bathroom-wal

This starling was found inside the wall of a...bathroom?! Yes, you read that right. We received a call from a concerned homeowner that she believed there was a bird inside her bathroom. She had closed the door as soon as she hear the noise and didn’t open it back up to investigate until we got there. When we arrived and opened the door, there was no bird and no possible entry into the bathroom itself. Upon further investigation it was discovered that the starling had made its... way through the bathroom vent pipe and fell down the wall due to a disconnect in the pipe along the way. Gates Wildlife Owner Brad Gates cut a hole in the bathroom wall to retrieve the unharmed starling. The bird was then released outside. YouTube video to come!

We got called out to a building because the neighbour had reported seeing 6-8 raccoons on the roof. Upon arrival, we spotted this one raccoon sleeping underneath the HVAC duct work. Most HVAC systems such as this are typically installed inside a building but in this particular case, the HVAC system was installed outside. This location provides the perfect Spring den for a raccoon away from the elements. Many of you may ask why wouldn’t you just leave the raccoons if they are...n’t living inside the attic? The answer to that can be seen in the video. The raccoons have been tearing at the shingles and exposing the plywood beneath. This can provide major problems for the building owner such as water leaks, mold, and drywall damage. An even more concerning matter is that a children’s playground is located directly below this spot on the roof where an accumulation of feces has been deposited. With the potential of raccoon roundworm eggs in the feces, it could inadvertently infect the children playing in that area. Raccoon Roundworm is a parasite that lives in the intestines of 70 to 90% of urban raccoons. The eggs of this parasite are shed in the raccoons droppings and if accidentally ingested, can cause serious health consequences. Young children are at highest risk since they have a tendency of putting things into their mouths. However, older children and adults can also be at risk when playing or working outdoors. The raccoon was gently persuaded to move on, the roof was repaired and the area was screened to prevent them from living there.

Moustaches for Movember Movember is an annual event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men's health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men's suicide Since 2007, more than five million guys have defied cultural expectations, and sometimes the protests of their loved ones, and declined to shave their upper lips, all in the name of helping men living longer.... Did you know Movember didn’t start in America? Movember has only been stateside for 11 years, when folks stateside joined the cause in 2007. However, the charitable effort originated in Australia in 2003. It all started with a pair of Australian blokes in a pub, who wondered why men don't grow mustaches anymore. They created Movember as a holiday to celebrate their favorite form of facial hair, and to encourage other guys to grow a mustache for a month. We have great news! We have raised $645 so far and are so appreciative of everyone who has donated. Our donation page: https://ca.movember.com/team/2350164

Rescuing a Raccoon From 8 Stories Up Can you spot the raccoon in the 2nd picture? Gates Wildlife Control Technician David responded to a call regarding a raccoon at the top of an 8-storey crane. The entire construction site was shut down, costing the construction company thousands of dollars, until we could get there and bring the raccoon safely to the ground. With an emergency call like this, it is of the utmost importance that we consider all potential outcomes. We have to... be extremely careful to not scare the raccoon in any way so that it doesn’t go out to an inaccessible area or worse jump. It was no small feat for David to get to where the raccoon was situated, imagine having to climb the ladder on the inside of the crane, 8 stories up! As David began to pursue the raccoon, it attempted to avoid being captured by climbing under the catwalk on the crane where it couldn’t be reached. After a few attempts going back and forth, David was eventually able to get the raccoon in his catch pole and place him in our trap at the top of the crane. The raccoon was then slowly lowered to the ground in our trap via the cranes pulley system. Safe on the ground, the raccoon was relocated and released a short distance from the construction site. It is unlikely that the raccoon would want to attempt to climb the crane again after experiencing this hair-raising ordeal. Pictures taken by Gates Wildlife Control David.

Damage Thursdays! We have started a mini series to show you all various damages / unique entry holes we have come across over the years. Today we have a very unique situation where a roofing company must have forgot to return to install the final roof vent on this customer’s house. As you can see, the roofer had placed a shingle over the open hole, which was cut for a roof vent. They likely ran out of roof vents on the installation day and placed the shingle here as a place h...older to prevent rain from entering while they were away. Luckily for this customer, a raccoon had yet to find the hole but all it would have taken was one step on top of the shingle for the raccoon to score the easiest attic break-in of all time. We were able to install one of our roof vents for our customer and put our screen on top of all his roof vents to ensure he wouldn’t have to worry about an animal intrusion in the future! Video taken by Owner, Brad Gates.

Chimneys: The Ideal Den for Raccoons Chimneys make ideal living quarters for raccoons. When a raccoon sees an uncapped chimney, they see an open invitation to a safe and sheltered space to live in, give birth and raise her young. In the Spring, chimneys make for the perfect play pen for baby raccoons. Baby raccoons born inside a chimney typically take longer to start foraging with their mother as it takes more strength and skill to make the climb up the chimney before doing s...o. Squirrels and birds often fall into open chimneys and become stuck at the bottom. In this case they would need rescuing in order to survive. Sometimes these animals enter the living space of the home, which will result in a very scared and frantic wild animal running in all directions looking for a way out. If this ever happens to you, it is best to open all doors and windows to ensure a direct path out for the animal as they will look for the daylight and head towards it. Picture taken by Gates Wildlife Technician Joel.

Family of Raccoons Rescued from Basement of House We were called out to humanely remove a family of raccoons from inside an vacated house. The homeowners had plans to tear the house down but wanted to make sure they got the family of raccoons out before doing so. Watch as we figure out where the raccoons are inside the house, how we remove them and reunite the family on the roof. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fLrulH1WHY&t=8s

Underground Raccoon Rescue We are often called out to remove raccoons from underground parking garages. They often find their way inside the garage and can’t seem to find their way back out. Although some raccoons may eventually find their way back out, most would be stuck down there until we arrive to help out.... If possible, we will catch the raccoon and bring them outside while on site. In situations where the raccoon can not be easily caught, we will set a trap to catch the raccoon and return to release them outside. Photo taken by Gates Wildlife Technician David.

Pumpkin Tasting! We have never seen this before! Our customer this week mentioned that the raccoon she had living in her attic had been sampling her pumpkins this year. She had also noticed a few bites out of her neighbour’s pumpkin. Lucky for her, it seems as if the raccoon didn’t particularly like the taste of pumpkin. It is my thinking that a raccoon would much prefer the inside of a pumpkin rather than the skin.... Has anyone ever seen this or had a raccoon eat their pumpkin? I’d love to hear about it!

Why You Should Screen Your Roof Vents! Roof Vents are constructed of light weight aluminum or plastic and are no obstacle for animals seeking entry into attics. This customer was lucky that the raccoons did not tear the lid completely off or else she would have had the potential of water damage in her attic. In most cases our customers end up finding the roof vent lid on the ground indicating that they have a raccoon intrusion.... Gates Wildlife can prevent this from happening by securing our screen on top of your roof vents.

Gates Rescues A Peregrine Falcon! We were called out to an emergency rescue yesterday in Markham. This beautiful falcon was stuck on the balcony of a penthouse suite. We believe the falcon must have hit into the window while chasing a smaller bird of prey such as a pigeon. Luckily, the lady in the suite called us and Gates Wildlife Technician Nick headed there immediately. Nick was able to assess the falcon and noticed that his wing seemed to be injured indicating that he cou...ld not be released on site. Nick put a shirt over his eyes to calm him down and put him into one of our cardboard boxes to bring him down to the ground. OSPCA (The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) was there to transport the falcon to Shades of Hope Wildlife Refuge, where he will be treated for his injuries and rehabbed. Peregrine Falcons are classified as a species of Special Concern, which means they are not endangered or threatened but may become threatened or endangered due to a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats. The Peregrine Falcon faces many of the threats that other species at risk face such as habitat loss and destruction, disturbance and persecution by people and environmental contaminants. These falcons are one of Canada’s most well known species at risk, owing almost 50 years of public attention and conservation efforts. Peregrine Falcons are very impressive birds as they are one of the fastest moving birds. As adults they are able to reach speeds up to 112 km/h while in pursuit of prey and can dive at speeds up to 320km/h. They catch medium sized birds in the air with amazing dives and are masterful at catching pigeons in the city. These Falcons look to nest on tall structures such as skyscrapers and cliffs, where they will sit on high perches waiting for the right opportunity to catch their prey. Fun Fact: The oldest recorded Peregrine Falcon was at least 19 years, 9 months old when it was identified by its band in Minnesota in 2012. Photos taken by Gates Wildlife Technician Nick.

Fear Mongering Fear based sales techniques are wrong and unethical. It is not uncommon for homeowners living with wildlife to experience some level of fear and anxiety. Some worry about the damage the animals may be causing and others are concerned about the health and safety of their family.... It is unfortunate that a large number of wildlife removal companies have resorted to preying on the fears of homeowners. Being untruthful about the health safety of the occupants is an unethical tactic used to get customers to immediately purchase their services. It is often a sign of desperation when company representative uses unreasonable fear as a sales tool. Also, wildlife removal companies that use fear to close a sale often charge 2 to 3 times more money than it should cost to remove and exclude the animals. They recognize that if they can raise our level of concern then cost will not be an object to protect your family. At Gates Wildlife we recognize that wildlife running in the attic can cause real concerns for homeowners but rarely do these situations warrant irrational fears. I feel it is our job to explain the reality of the situation and alleviate any worries by offering a comprehensive long-term solution.

Gates Merchandise is Now Available! Over the past year we have received many requests to purchase our sweaters and shirts from people around the world. We finally have a merchandise line! Gates Wildlife T-Shirts and Crewnecks are available NOW on our website under Shop... The shop link can be found here: https://www.gateswildlifecontrol.com/shop/ Thank you as always to all our fans and customers for supporting Gates Wildlife Control.

It’s Called Chicken Wire And Not Raccoon Wire For A Reason! Chicken wire has been the go-to for homeowners looking for a DIY solution to their animal problem. They try nailing, screwing and stapling this wire to their decks, sheds and roofs in an attempt to keep raccoons and other animals from living in and around their home. Chicken wire was originally designed to contain chickens in their coop. It was never intended to keep animals that can manipulate (claw, dig, and pull) ...the wire out. Chicken wire is very thin, breaks easily and will stretch, often forming a noose around an animals neck as they attempt to push through it. Over the years, we have been called out to perform many rescues of live animals stuck with chicken wire around their neck and other body parts. We sadly have also had to respond to many calls where the animal did not survive. Gates Wildlife uses a sturdy gaulvanized 1 by 1 screen that can not be manipulated by wildlife. Please do NOT use chicken wire as a means to animal proof your home and other structures. The chicken wire was used in the situation to keep raccoons from living underneath the deck. Fortunately they were not harmed while gaining access under this deck. Photo taken by Gates Wildlife Technician David.

Golden Crowned Kinglet While I was on my driveway this past Saturday, this bird collided with the small window on my garage door. After observing the bird for a few minutes, I decided to pick it up and let it recover while perched on my finger. It slowly came around and after 10 minutes it appeared to completely recover and flew off into the trees.... Having not seen this bird before, I did some research and discovered it was a Golden Crowned Kinglet. For reference these birds are smaller than a chickadee but larger than a hummingbird. They are tiny songbirds with a round body, short wings, and skinny tail. They have relatively large heads, and their bills are short and thin, which are perfect for gleaning small insects. These tiny songbirds usually stay concealed high in dense trees, revealing their presence with thin, very high-pitched calls. They pluck small insects from clusters of conifer needles, often hovering briefly to reach them. In migration and winter, kinglets frequently join other insectivorous songbirds such as warblers in mixed flocks. Content Credit: www.allaboutbirds.org

GIVEAWAY! Write a caption for this photo to be entered for the chance to win a NEW Gates Wildlife T-Shirt before anyone else! All you have to do:... Follow Us Write a Caption Tag a Friend SWIPE to see the back of the new t-shirts YOU HAVE UNTIL SUNDAY AT NOON TO ENTER! Contest is open to both Canada & U.S! Good Luck Everyone!

Sneak Peak Gates Wildlife Merchandise will be available on our site by next week, we will be posting to announce when they launch. We will have crewnecks (as seen) with a front and back logo and t-shirts with the same logos!... They will be available in Small, Medium, Large and XL.

This past Spring, Gates Wildlife Technician Nick removed a family of raccoons from underneath an addition of a home. Luckily there was a hatch for him to crawl into and access the babies through. When searching for babies we always have to keep a watchful eye out for the mother as her maternal instinct could kick in to protect her babies. Nick was able to chase the mother out from the space and closed the area so that she could not regain access. Her babies were placed in a heated reunion box on the outside for her to collect. She relocated all her babies that night.

A Habitual Chewer in Action! Rodents such as squirrels are habitual chewers, which means their teeth are constantly growing, therefore they must chew to grind down their teeth. When inside your attic, they will chew on almost anything they can get access to including your wires. Even at a very young age, squirrels have the instinct to start chewing on anything and everything to grind down their teeth.... Watch and listen to this video as this baby gnaws on this aluminum eavestrough. This noise can be disturbing when you hear it coming from inside your attic. Video taken by Gates Wildlife Technician Nick.

Peek-a-boo! Just checking to make sure they hired a humane company, so glad to see you! Photo taken by Gates Wildlife Technician David.

Gotta love a good scratch! We have all seen dogs scratch themselves but has anyone ever seen a raccoon do the same? Gates Wildlife Technician David arrived on the roof of this home to find this raccoon enjoying a good scratch, completely unbothered by his presence!