A recent post promoting Maplewood Molly — Maplewood’s own Groundhog Day groundhog — prompted readers to expound on sightings of real, live groundhogs and many other creatures seen in the area.
The animals reported seen: groundhogs, great horned owl, wild turkey, hawks, snakes of all sorts, a fox, turtles, a heron, deer, coyotes, foxes, turkeys, Mallards, snapping turtle, red ear slider turtle, box turtle, toads, garter snakes, earth snakes, chipmunks, beaver, quail ( in a back yard on Bellevue a covey in the 1960’s), screech owls, peregrine falcons. Gold finches, indigo bunting, opossums.
One commenter, LeeAnnn Tapscott, said opossums are beneficial: They carry no diseases because their body temp is too low. They get rid of Lyme’s Disease, poisonous snakes, keep the mice and rat population in check among a host of other great things. These animals are very beneficial to the environment. They are considered “Nocturnal gardeners.” If you see an opossum, please be kind. They are cleaning up your yard. They also do not kill chickens. It is impossible. They don’t move fast enough. They may not seem cute to many, but, they are very clean animals. They are one of the most valuable animals on the Earth.
Baby season will be arriving soon. This website and app is the most beneficial for people who are looking to find a licensed wildlife rehabber who can help.
Only get help from someone who is licensce thru the MO Dept of Conservation. This site will find you a licensed rehabber in your area. This website has been a blessing when wildlife babies need help. http://www.ahnow.org ( Animal Help Now. org)
I live in Richmond Heights, and if anyone needs help? I am the only licensed wildlife rehabber in this area. There are two other clinics that will take wildlife, but do not pick up and rescue. You have to take the animals into them. High Ridge Wildlife Clinic 636 677-3670 and Wildlife Center of MO. 636 394-1880
Another licensed rehabber and rescurer is Wildlife Rehabilitation hotline (Karen Froelich) 1 855-495-3543
Make sure you contact an ethical licensed rehabber. Just because it’s a hotline doesn’t mean they are ethical. Contact the MO Dept of Conservation if you have questions about who the licensed rehabbers are in your area or Animal Help Now. (ahnow.org) We accept donations. We need the funds for vets, medicines, food, and for rescues. Thank you.
LeeAnn Tapscott
Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitation
314 402-3191
I saw a coyote at the corner of Big Bend and Shrewsbury across street from KFC.
Venomous snake, not poisonous.
What?
My favorites:
– 2 brilliant white full-grown opossums grazing on bright green spring grass in my back yard, back and forth, slow, slow
– coyote trotting down Zephyr in the dark before dawn, small prey animal in mouth, pausing briefly in the streetlight, letting me get a good look at him as I drank my morning coffee on the porch swing
– 3 raccoons, again before dawn, racing from my driveway across the street, only the last in line of the 3 pausing to investigate and to choose from a bag of fast-food leftovers tossed in the street
http://www.pleasebekind.com/opossum.html
Another plus to opossums is that they also eat dog poop. 🙂
I’ve seen raccoons in our neighborhood on occasion too!
Forgot to mention weasels and muskrats. 🙂
I live in Brentwood near Black Creek and can honestly say I’ve seen all the creatures listed in this article near my home except for the quail. In addition I’ve seen many harmless water snakes in the creek and both baby and juvenile black rat snakes around the neighborhood (indicating at least one breeding pair). I’ve also seen flying squirrels and one time found a soft shell turtle in the creek (very rare for this area I’d say). I love all the wildlife in the area. Please stop cutting down the trees which is eliminating their habitat.
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