Showing Love to SF’s Local Wildlife

Many of San Francisco’s wildlife need our love now more than ever. photo: AdobeStock AI

It’s the month of love! That time of year when storefronts are decked with gimmicky hearts, sparrows serenade us with their beautiful calls, and couples share a kiss at the top of the Hidden Staircase, reminding us why so many leave their hearts in San Francisco.

With love in the air, February is also a time to reflect on the importance of compassion and of opening our hearts to others, including our furry, feathery, and scaly friends around us.

When it comes to non-human animals, it’s easy to think of showing love by cuddling and pampering our dog and cat companions. And while that’s  important (I myself was just Googling “cat spa ideas”...), this Valentine’s Day I ask that we extend our compassion beyond puppy love to all the other animals that surround us everyday, from coyotes to rats to birds of prey. In fact, many of these critters need our love now more than ever.

The Commission of Animal Control and Welfare has been joined by several guest  experts at recent meetings to talk about some of the issues affecting the wild animals in our midst. These discussions have covered both the current challenges the city’s animals face as well as potential solutions that can have long-lasting impacts.

In our January meeting, Sarah Lemarie, CEO of Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue, joined us for an enlightening presentation about the wild parrots of San Francisco, which you can watch here. Sarah’s presentation came at a particularly exciting time, as just last summer, the SF Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to name the wild parrots the city's official animal.  

In addition to showcasing the work of Mickaboo’s staff, Sarah shared troubling challenges facing our wild parrots, highlighting the fact that the most common killer of these birds is rat poison. This is not an idle threat, and we’ve learned from the fate of the California Quail, now extinct in San Francisco, that an honorary title alone doesn’t naturally lead to conservation efforts. We must take active measures to ensure the wild parrots can enjoy long, healthy lives with us here in the city.

Sarah’s presentation built on another issue the commission has explored in recent months. In our November meeting, we were fortunate to have Tanea Stephens, a volunteer at Raptors Are The Solution (RATS), present compelling data and a case study about a pilot program in a Seattle neighborhood that used contraceptives as a replacement for anticoagulant rodenticides. Commission Chair Michael Angelo Torres and I wrote about this issue in a previous Bay Woof article, detailing the harm rodenticides cause to both target and non-target wildlife. While the hard work of many organizations and activists has helped pave the way for progress in California, the use of anticoagulant rodenticides is still horrifyingly prolific, including in San Francisco.

The actions of Mickaboo and RATS provide strong examples of how turning compassion into advocacy can have the potential for positive, long-lasting change. We’ve already seen significant progress on the issue of rodenticides, thanks in large part to people on the ground pushing for action. This is an issue the commission will continue to explore in 2024.

As always, it’s important for the commission to hear from our own San Francisco residents. Please join our February 8 commission meeting to share your thoughts on these matters as well as any other animal issues you’re passionate about. 

After all, February is the month of passion. Happy Valentine's Day!

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The next meeting of the Commission of Animal Control and Welfare will be held at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, February 8, in Room 408, City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102. Information about remote access to meetings is available at sf.gov/animalcommission. Agendas are published 72 hours prior to the meeting.

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The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of Commissioner Garfinkel and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of the Commission of Animal Control and Welfare.