Column: Humane exclusion is the best way to deal with critters in your home
An orphaned baby opossum is weighed at Pasadena Humane’s Sandra J. Goodspeed Wildlife Center. The organization now offers Humane Exclusion services, helping local residents resolve wildlife conflicts without using lethal or inhumane trapping. Humane Exclusion is often the most sustainable and effective way to address wildlife conflicts. Learn more at pasadenahumane.org/wildlife
Growing up in La Cañada, it wasn’t unusual to see wildlife just outside of my home. But one day, we started hearing rattling in our attic. After a few days of curious noises, we noticed a raccoon going in and out of a small crawl space.
My mother made a few calls to local “pest control” companies, hoping to find someone who could safely relocate the raccoon. We quickly learned that the only available wildlife services were exterminators.
We didn’t want the raccoon harmed, but we did want it out of the attic. So, my mom kept watch, and when the raccoon eventually left, she had me nail the opening shut so it couldn’t get back in.
Looking back, we had two real options: call an exterminator, which likely would have ended in euthanasia, or find a way to address the root of the problem ourselves. I’m so glad that we went with the latter.
That experience stuck with me. Back then, we were just trying to do the right thing. Today, I’m proud to say Pasadena Humane offers expert guidance grounded in that same instinct for compassion I had as a child.
What we did all those years ago now has a name. Humane exclusion is a non-lethal way of dealing with uninvited wild house guests.
To explain how it works and why it matters, I turned to our wildlife expert, Lauren Hamlett, who brings deep knowledge and hands-on experience to this work.
According to Lauren, humane exclusion is a kinder, more sustainable way to resolve issues when wildlife finds its way into human spaces.
Conventional pest control trapping can harm animals and often fails to solve the problem long term, leaving an empty territory for another animal to come and take the place of those that have been removed.
By contrast, humane exclusion encourages our wild friends to leave on their own, followed by blocking reentry points. This approach respects the animal’s natural behavior while offering a lasting solution by preventing future conflicts in a thoughtful and effective way.
As Lauren explains, by getting animals to leave on their own and sealing off access points, we reduce the risk of property damage and stressful encounters for the animals and the people living nearby (including pets that can harm wildlife and vice versa). It’s a solution that creates safer boundaries without resorting to harmful methods.
The most common species we get calls about at Pasadena Humane are raccoons and skunks. However, we also assist with a wide range of local wildlife — including coyotes, snakes, and bears — by visiting your home and providing personalized guidance that accounts for both human concerns and the animal’s natural behaviors.
Once our wild neighbors are successfully blocked from entry, they typically return to natural spaces or shelters they’ve used before. When exclusion is done at the right time and with care, like making sure babies are old enough to move, we give them the chance to relocate safely.
Humane exclusion is about more than just keeping animals out — it’s about learning how to live alongside them. By taking the time to learn about the natural history and behavior of our wild neighbors, we can build our understanding and take simple steps to prevent most conflicts from happening in the first place.
To learn more about humane exclusion, I encourage you to attend our upcoming free workshop on June 28. Whether it’s a raccoon in your attic or a skunk under your porch, our team is here to help you choose a more humane path that values peaceful co-existence with our wild friends.
Register online at pasadenahumane.org/wildlife
Chris Ramon is interim president and CEO of Pasadena Humane. pasadenahumane.org
This blog post originally appeared as a column in the Pasadena Star-News on June 20, 2025.
