Wildlife is topic in Cranberry
CRANBERRY TWP — Don't feed the wildlife, don't touch the wildlife and don't be alarmed by the wildlife.
That's the message the Pennsylvania Game Commission wants the people of Cranberry to know about the deer, raccoons, bears and coyotes that reside in the area.
Randy Pilarcik, a wildlife conservation officer with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and Officer Christopher Zevola, from the Cranberry Township Police, spoke with residents as part of the Manager's Coffee and Conversation series of meetings Tuesday night. More than 50 people came out to the Sunrise Rotary's gazebo at the municipal center for the talk.
Jerry Andree, township manager, said officials have had an increasing amount of calls coming in about wildlife in the neighborhoods around the township so they brought in Pilarcik to give information and answer questions about how to coexist peacefully with the animals.
Black bears and coyotes were two main topics of the conversation, as the two predatory animals are being seen more often in developed areas.
“We don't have a lot of issues with bears attacking people,” Pilarcik said. “Usually when they smell us they go the other way.”
Pilarcik, who covers the Interstate 79 corridor in Butler County, said there have only been two bear attacks statewide on people in recent memory and neither was fatal.
Bears typically stay out of yards, but bird feeders and garbage can draw them in for a quick, easy meal. People are advised to take bird feeders in at night and keep garbage inside until the morning of pickup to deter bears, Pilarcik said.
Feeding animals purposefully is problematic because it concentrates the animals in one place, which can cause diseases to spread, and it acclimates them to being fed by humans. And corn can be lethal for deer as they cannot always digest it.
Additionally, seeing a bear is nothing to be alarmed about, and people do not need to call the game commission with sightings, Pilarcik said. The same goes for coyotes.
While the population of coyotes in the region has exploded, they mostly feed on small mammals, Pilarcik said, although they will eat small dogs and cats that are loose given the opportunity. But coyotes will not attack people, he said.
Nancy Hans of Hunters Creek asked about a fisher that was spotted in her neighborhood. A fisher is a member of the weasel family. They are dark brown and grow to be up to three feet in length and weigh between eight and 12 pounds.
Pilarcik said fishers went extinct in the state until the game commission brought them back because they are the major predator of the porcupine. They were first introduced in the mountainous north central part of the state, but they have proliferated and their territory has spread across a large part of the state.
Fishers are not dangerous to humans and mostly feed on small animals and birds, he said.
Unless an animal is behaving strangely, there is nothing to be concerned about, Pilarcik said. He also warned residents against picking up or touching any wild animals, even if they are babies that seem to be unprotected. Every animal can carry rabies, and it is passed by contact with the animal's saliva.
Valerie May, a resident of the Pinehurst neighborhood, asked about deer and what can be done to get them out of yards. Pilarcik said the only way to control an animal population is through regulated hunting.
Zevola said people can still hunt in Cranberry, although it is limited due to the dense population of structures and people. But an archery hunter only needs a 50-yard safety zone away from structures and a rifle hunter needs a 150-yard safety zone.
He said people can ask their homeowners associations about allowing hunting if the development has a large enough green space. Zevola said people hunt in North Boundary Park.
“People can come hunt and there are guys looking to come hunt,” he said.
