The Thomas Fire and the Montecito flash flooding and debris flows have left Santa Barbara and Ventura counties’ foothills and some of the backcountry charred by flames and denuded by mudslides.
Thousands of people in Montecito and Ventura lost their homes as did the wildlife in the foothills. We are cleaning up and trying to rebuild our houses, but many species of wildlife have no choice but to move. These animals are moving down from the foothills to seek shelter and food.
When a wildfire starts, animals react immediately. This was the case with the Thomas Fire in Los Padres National Forest. All species of birds attempted to fly away to safety, but their nests and foraging habitat were burned. Animals such as deer, bears, mountain lions, bobcats and foxes are proficient at running and used this ability to escape the flames.
In January, by Cisar Trail in Ojai, a young male bear cub was found severely burned. Veterinarians could not save it, but two adult female bears with similar burns were able to be treated and have since been released back into the backcountry. Their paws were treated with Tilapia fish skins and wrapped in corn husks, under the care of veterinarians with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
A female mountain lion cub was found in the Santa Paula area with serious burns to its paw pads. The animal has been treated and, hopefully, will be released from captivity when it grows up a little.
Wildlife adapted to the wildfire and the majority of them had a fairly good outcome, but not to the subsequent massive mudslides. Wildlife could not react to the slides in a timely manner.
Burrowed animals did not stand a chance, nor did fish in the creeks. Most of the aquatic species and mammals inhabiting the riparian areas along the affected areas of Montecito, San Ysidro, Buena Vista and Romero creeks most likely perished. Our wildlife endured the Thomas Fire only to be devastated by the debris flows.
“Due to the recent Montecito flood, a variety of snake species, including gopher snakes, California kingsnakes and Western rattlesnakes have potentially been misplaced onto local beaches,” the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network posted on its Facebook page.
“At this time of year, snakes and turtles have been hibernating so wildfire experts say they aren’t able to protect themselves in the unfamiliar environment of a sandy beach.”
Southwestern pond turtles have also been found on local beaches with burns and trauma from boulders in the mud.
Wildlife survivors have had their nesting, foraging and territories eradicated. They are moving to new territories, but some of these territories are occupied by other animals or by people.
Your fruit trees, vegetable gardens, chicken coops, fish ponds, cat and dog food dishes and garbage cans may be dinner for displaced raccoons, foxes, opossums, bobcats and coyotes.
Coyotes, mountain lions and bobcats may see your small dog, cat or chickens as food. Please keep your pets indoors from dawn to dusk, put chickens safely in their coops at night, remove all feeding dishes from outside your house and put lids on garbage cans.
Be cautious of all snakes and call Santa Barbara County Animal Services if you are unsure if a snake is venomous. It is hard to differentiate between a venomous rattlesnake and a friendly kingsnake. Keep yourself and your dog at a safe distance from the snake and call animal control.
Do not kill the snake. We need to try and live in harmony with our wildlife.
— Dr. Bonnie Franklin is a veterinarian who grew up in Santa Barbara and owns Your Pals Pet Hospital in Goleta. She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from a joint program of Washington State University and Oregon State University, a master’s degree in wildlife biology from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and does consulting work with the U.S. Forest Service. Click here to contact her, and click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are her own.