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Crime & Safety

Busy Times for Animal Control in Suffield

Angelo DiMauro offers tips and shares his experiences as Suffield's animal control officer.

Aside from some 12,000 residents, Suffield is home to all manners of wildlife species. Animal Control Officer Angelo DiMauro is charged with educating the public and protecting town residents from the possible dangers posed by animals both wild and domestic.

"Now is the busy season," DiMauro said.

Because of Suffield's geographical location, many wild animals enter residential neighborhoods from nearby forests and by descending from West Suffield Mountain.

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Anyone living in Suffield long term knows that town residents share the land with black bears. Bear sightings are a common occurrence in the summertime and are the reason for many of the calls to Animal Control.

DiMauro said bird feeders often attract bears to lawns and yards.

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"It's nice to see a bear," he said. "A lot of people have bird feeders out and the feeders call the bears in."

Asked if there is any safe way to have a bird feeder around, DiMauro responded with a bit of humor followed by some simple advice.

"You don't feed birds in the summer," he said. "If you don't want bears around, remove the feeders."

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) offers tips for dealing with bears. Bears are attracted to food, so garbage and gas grills should be stored in enclosed areas to limit access by animals. The DEEP also recommends not using bird feed between March and November.

Bear attacks are extremely rare and bears will tend to move to more secluded areas if they come into contact with humans. But caution should always be exercised. Under no circumstances should any attempts be made to feed the animals. More information on Connecticut black bears can be found at the DEP's Web site.

Besides bears, DiMauro said the local fox population seems to have exploded in recent years. Like other small animals, foxes like to nest and have been known to build dens under sheds and other structures in local yards. He suggested securing the underneath of such structures to prevent foxes, as well as skunks and raccoons, from claiming the space for their own.

"Rabies is common," DiMauro said, noting that while the disease is mostly carried by raccoons in the area, any mammal can carry it.

DiMauro stressed the importance of vaccinations for pets, even if they are only outside for brief periods of time. He related an experience being attacked by rabid raccoons himself.

"They can get very aggressive at different stages [of the disease]," he said.

On the job for more than 14 years, DiMauro and his assistant, dispatcher Stacey Robins, both respond to calls as well as prepare educational materials on animal safety.

Working with animal control officers from surrounding towns, a program for younger children as well as high school students focusing appropriate and safe responses to wildlife is being prepared. He received a positive response from students participating in a program at Suffield's agrscience center this year.

DiMauro related a funny story that occurred a few years ago. He got a call from a dispatcher who said a woman was reporting a bear in her living room. Prepared for a confrontation, DiMauro arrived at the residence. He quickly learned that the woman who placed the call had a thick accent, and what the dispatcher had heard was not a report of a bear, but a bird in the caller's living room.

Suffield dog licenses were scheduled for renewal in June, so any owners of unlicensed dogs should proceed to the Town Clerk's office for proper registering of their pet.

In case of an animal emergency, residents are urged to call the Suffield Police Department at 860-668-3870. For more general issues with domestic animals they can reach the Suffield Animal Shelter at 860-668-3861.

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