The Victoria Day long weekend is awesome: the weather is finally nice, cabins and cottages are being opened, and the barbecue lid is being propped up for family feasts. And if you are barbecuing this weekend, you may be creating conflict with local wildlife.
The Fur-Bearers have three points to remember while barbecuing (or any other type of outdoor cooking) this weekend that will keep your family well-fed, and the wildlife safe:
- Dropped food. A dropped spear of asparagus here, a forgotten cob of corn there, and suddenly you’ve creating a feast of leftovers for local wildlife. Look around the barbecue, the picnic table, or the patio furniture for fallen foods and clean them up before heading in.
- Clean up the grill. From the grease trap to burned on bits of food (which we know wasn’t your fault, no matter what your family says), taking a few minutes to properly clean the barbecue itself will reduce the interest that nearby animals have in your cooking area.
- The forgotten attractants. Citronella can attract bears, food left out for birds, squirrels, and chipmunks can attract small to large predators, and dog food brings in just about everybody with a nose and at least two paws. Consider what else you’re doing while outside barbecuing and take steps to remove attractants during or after your meal.
We hope you can get outside and enjoy this wonderful world, and help make sure that the animals with whom we share it can enjoy it, too. Happy long weekend!
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