Living with Wildlife
One of the most attractive things about Benicia is its abundant open spaces and green pathways for wildlife. This incredibly large amount of open space that those involved in planning our community helped to protect brings with it some unique challenges, especially several years into a serious drought. We are seeing an increase in reports of coyotes, raccoons, deer and other wildlife in our neighborhoods. Many of these animals are searching for food and find pet food and water, and sometimes pets, to be a much easier way to survive than searching for limited stocks of food and water in the open spaces.
Generally speaking these animals will retreat from human interactions, especially if one makes themselves big and loud. Pets should be kept on leash during walks through open space and trails and food and water should not be left out at home. Food and water should never be left on trailheads, trails or in open space to feed wild animals. These simple actions will reduce the likelihood of negative interactions with our wildlife.
If you do find yourself in an encounter with an aggressive animal that does not retreat and comes at you aggressively, or aggressively attempts to attack you or your pet, please report this to the Benicia Police Department or complete the online form using the link below and e-mail us the completed form (police@ci.benicia.ca.us). Any wild animal that bites a human or pet should be reported immediately to the Benicia Police Department.
More information on living with wildlife:
- Coyotes - for our best practices approach in conjunction with the Humane Society.
- Video - Coyotes: Villain or Vilified?
- Raccoons - The Benicia Police Department does not conduct trapping as we are prohibited by law from relocating trapped animals such as raccoons without a special permit (see trapping in the link above for further information). We recommend those interested in such service look for an authorized and licensed trapper or similar service.
Coyote Report Form: (while designed for coyotes, this form can be used to report interactions with other aggressive wildlife). You may email the completed document to police@ci.benicia.ca.us or mail it to Benicia Police Department, 200 East L Street, Benicia, CA 94510.