Thank you for engaging in such dedicated advocacy regarding the coyote hunting contests that have been taking place in the Town of Barnstable over the past two years. Your input, and the input of fellow advocates, has been powerful and helpful as we have worked to find a solution that will respect the rights, and preserve the safety, of people, pets, and wildlife.
Fourth of July. New Years Eve. Weddings. Special Events. These are all becoming common instances where fireworks are included. We are all familiar with the colorful displays of light and the loud booms, but we may not be aware of the effect this has on other living beings, especially our companion animals and nearby wildlife.
As is commonly known, dogs and other animals have an acute sense of hearing, much stronger than that of their human counterparts. What is startling to our senses can be quite terrifying for animals and could result in them behaving unpredictably which could put them or their caregivers at risk.
People are told to leave their dogs at home, or even worse, to crate them, when fireworks are scheduled to be lit, but the American Humane Society strongly advises against this. A dog left alone in a house, or even confined to a crate, is more at risk to injure themselves trying to escape the noise. The Humane Society goes on to say that the most common behavior problems associated with loud noises is destruction and escape.
There are things that can be done, not just for the benefit of our domestic animals and wildlife, but also for people with noise related phobias such as individuals with PTSD and sensitive little children. Fireworks are being developed with less flashpowder (the chemical that produces the loud bangs) and the associated noise levels have been reduced significantly. Of note, noise reduction in fireworks began around 1999 and has grown in popularity and there are now more, and better, quieter fireworks available.
Please consider joining the list of cities and towns, both domestic and abroad, who have chosen to use fireworks with reduced flashpowder and thereby significantly reducing the noise factor. Go to your town council meetings and be a voice for the animals. You can help make your town a compassionate leader by introducing quieter fireworks on behalf of our domestic animals and wildlife.
Call Friends off Cape Wildlife anytime to talk more about what you can do. 508-375-3700.
By forming a town wide initiative in your town to install bat houses, we are helping support a local species that is not only feeds on mosquitoes and other night insects, but we are helping support a major pollinator and seed distributor. 
While bats alone are not the sole solution to our mosquito misery, they are part of a solution that helps reduce our environment and our own exposure to chemicals to prevent insect bites and the diseases they carry with them. Pregnant bats can eat up to their body weight, some species eating 500-1000 mosquitoes an hour!
Providing a bat friendly environment will help support an important native species
By Katy Ward
Posted May 10, 2018 at 7:00 AM – courtesy of the Provincetown Banner
PROVINCETOWN — It’s baby-boom time for wildlife on the Cape and people need to understand how to coexist with compassion.
That’s why Friends of Cape Wildlife will present “Why Wildlife Matters,” with Kathy Zagzebski, of the National Marine Life Center in Bourne, and Stephanie Ellis, of Wild Care in Eastham, on Wednesday, May 23 at Napi’s Restaurant in Provincetown.
“It is our responsibility to rectify our human impact,” said Ellis, executive director of Wild Care, which cares for sick and injured small wildlife. “There’s not really any such thing as nature taking its course. It’s trying to take its course, but we are in the way.”
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Like many of your Cape neighbors, you may have been outraged and dismayed when the Powderhorn Outfitters Gun Shop in Hyannis sponsored a several months’ long coyote killing contest in 2017 and 2018.
Friends of Cape Wildlife firmly believes that killing contests are unjustified, ecologically damaging, unsporting and cruel. Our members support a ban on killing contests. We advocate for greatly shortened seasons; a bag limit of one per hunter; prohibiting baiting, night hunting, and use of electronic calls; and establishing wildlife refuges within local, state and federal parks and forests.
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Come to the new volunteer orientation being offered this fall.
Cape Wildlife Center
Saturday October 14 1-3pm
4011 Main Street, Barnstable
Cape Wildlife Center’s mission is to protect wildlife through rescue, rehabilitation, and education. Each year Cape Wildlife Center receives nearly 2,000 patients and answers thousands of wildlife calls from the public. Cape Wildlife center receives only sick, injured and orphaned wildlife. No domestic or feral species are received or treated.
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Thirty-two volunteers attended a refresher seminar at the Cape Wildlife Center given by Dr. Lynn Miller. This was held for existing CWC volunteers to have an opportunity to learn about new techniques in wildlife care and rehabilitation, and to practice some of their old skills. There was a lecture component on physical assessment, triage skills, including fluids and medication administration, and splinting of broken bones. Dr. Miller reviewed proper techniques to avoid spreading disease to other patients and to our selves. She also discussed general husbandry. This was followed by a hands -on session where these skills were practiced on cadaver animals.
The level of commitment and skill of these volunteers was impressive. We thank them for wanting to learn as much as possible and for giving up an entire Saturday of their own time to do so. Thank you also to Dr. Miller for sharing her time and her vast store of knowledge.
by Diane Boretos, P.W.S. Call of the Wild Environmental Services
The wildlife on Cape Cod enhances the quality of our lives on a daily basis. Growing up in Falmouth, I often often saw deer, bobwhite quail, pheasant and foxes pass by our yard. It was always a thrill to see them.
In spite of the fact that we have evolved with these other beings over the millennia, many humans do not recognize and embrace their intrinsic connection to all the species who comprise our world.
As primates still residing in trees, we learned about predators, prey, mobility, food sources, etc. By watching what other species were doing in the savannas and in the forests, we learned to survive. And there are lessons we can continue to learn now. Read more →
