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Date: 8/1/2023
HOLYOKE — Animal Control Officer Erick Vélez sat down for the latest edition of Holyoke Media’s “ASK” series to talk about his position in the city and answer some commonly asked questions throughout the community.
Vélez has worked for the city for almost a decade before spending almost the same amount of time in a similar role for the city of Springfield. The first question asked was what the difference was between Vélez’s role and an animal control group such as Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center in Springfield, known as TJO.
“We overlap because we do a lot of the same things when it comes to animal control services. Part of my job as animal inspector, I sort of do a lot of other things as far as follow ups for quarantines, dog bites, inspections and such. But as far as the animal control aspect of it, it’s quite similar as far as making sure that the animals are taken care of,” Vélez said.
For any confusion on who should be called first in the situation of reporting a lost pet Vélez said people can choose either the city or the easier animal control group to call.
“That’s the beauty of I think having to be here for 30-40 hours a week, 50 hours a week sometimes, you can choose to call either of us and we would respond at the same time,” Vélez said. “A lot of folks tend to call the Police Department first so the police will catch me on the radio, and I would respond sometimes.”
Holyoke resident Lina Pratt explained to Vélez she heard from a friend about a dog who is constantly off its leash and runs loose throughout the neighborhood. While the dog is not malicious, it does find itself on others property and sometimes can use the bathroom there. She asked how Vélez would approach the situation from his role.
“We would talk to them. If this is a first-time offense I would typically go with the more simple approach of, ‘hey, get your dog, make sure he stays inside,’ or maybe I get the dog and bring him back home,” Vélez said. “TJO may also be able to do that if for whatever reason I’m tied up on another call or I’m in court, what have you, but if it is a persistent issue then of course citations may be issued.”
The conversation switched to how to handle bears on property after residents posted online in the last few weeks discussing an influx of bear sightings around the city. Vélez said first and foremost is to attempt to not react and get the bear’s attention as you do not want it coming towards you or your home in any way.
“We have to also understand that animals in general, the wildlife in general, whether its bear, racoon, possum or skunk, they don’t want to be around us any more than we want them to be around us,” Vélez said. “Keeping a safe distance and watching them go by would be the best recommendation that I would have. However, when it comes to keeping your area clean and having less attractants, making sure your bird feeders are not necessarily out. Spring and summertime are the busiest times for bears to be out and about.”
Vélez also said any fruit trees as well as bird feeders can attract bears due to their sense of smell so eliminating anything that would attract them is an easy fix to keep them from visits. Mayor Joshua Garcia also relayed this messaging about bears in his July 21 Mayor’s Updates saying as the black bear population has continued to increase so have their encounters with humans.
“Bird feeders often contain a concentrated source of food that can lure bears into neighborhoods. When bears become accustomed to finding food near human habitation, they may lose their natural feat of humans and can become more bold and potentially aggressive,” Garcia said.
To address the issue, the Massachusetts Environmental Police and other wildlife management agencies in the state have recommended taking precautions to avoid attracting bears to residential areas.
These measures include remove bird feeders, securing trash and other food sources, eliminating other attractants such as barbeque grills, compost piles or fruit trees, and education in the community to raise awareness.
Garcia added it was important to note that wildlife management practices can vary by location and may be subject to change base don evolving research and local policies. For the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding black bears and public safety in Massachusetts, it is recommended to consult the Massachusetts Environmental Police or the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.
Vélez said in order to report a bear or any other wildlife in a neighborhood there are options along with himself to contact based on what is going on. He said the Environmental Police typically handle big game and wildlife calls as well as Mass. Fisheries and Wildlife.
“A lot of people call about say coyotes or bears and they want them trapped and relocated. I try to tell and educate people on how that’s maybe not the greatest idea to trap and relocate because you open that area to other animals moving in when you trap and get them out of there, so we want to minimize that,” Vélez said. “We want to make sure if it does need to be trapped and relocated that the proper agency is called such as Mass. Fish and Wildlife.”
Vélez added he also assists with roadkill clean up and responds to reported biting’s or injuries from animals. He said when responding that regardless of a rabies shot, he will typically put the animal under quarantine for 10 days as rabies shots are not 100% proof against the virus.
He hopes residents can take some knowledge with them about his role and the proper people to contact in place of a wildlife animal emergency.
“I’d like to make sure that folks know that just because animal control or myself work with animals doesn’t necessarily mean that I do anything and everything sort of under the umbrella of animals. This is the reason why we have the environmental police, this is why we have animal control. This is why we have Mass. Fish and Wildlife,” Vélez said. “We want to make sure that everyone is aware and if they have more information, if the community has more information, they know exactly who to call, when to call, as opposed to just calling the same number every time and maybe being told ‘we don’t do that.’”