Living With Wildlife

“Wild animals naturally fear humans and keep their distance - so long as they remain fully wild.” - California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

In cities that border open space, like Diamond Bar, sharing living space with wildlife is a way of life. Deer, squirrels, raccoons, rattlesnakes, and coyotes are some of the wildlife whose habitat we share.

For the most part, these animals provide great wildlife watching opportunities - on the condition that we keep a respectful distance and do not disturb their normal activities.

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Wild animals are by nature fearful of humans, but when intentionally or unintentionally given easy access to food and water sources, their behavior changes and they lose the fear. This leads to interactions and potentially conflicts between humans, pets, and wild animals.

Wildlife Precautions

If you live in an area with a known wild animal presence, do your part to keep them wild in their natural habitat by following these simple precautions:

  • Do not feed any wild animals. It encourages them to lose their natural fear of humans and develop reliance for easy access food.
  • Clear brush and dense weeds from around private property. This deprives rodents of shelter and reduces protective cover.
  • Pick fruit off property trees as soon as it ripens and dispose of fruit that has fallen to the ground.
  • Supervise young children and pets while they are outside during early evening and early morning hours.

Reporting Conflicts

If wildlife behaves aggressively or attacks people, contact the California Department of Fish and Game at 858-467-4201.

Coyotes

Coyotes play an important role in the ecosystem by keeping rodent populations under control; however their predator instincts sometimes give them a bad name.

While coyotes primarily hunt rodents and wild rabbits for good, they will take advantage of whatever “food source” is available, including garbage, pet food, and domestic animals.

If followed by a coyote, the Department of Fish and Game suggests making loud noises or, if this fails, throwing rocks in the animal's direction.

Coyote questions or concerns may be submitted online at www.diamondbarca.gov/report . For emergencies, call 9-1-1