By Kerri Pepoy,Special to the Sun Journal

GRAY – Dave Sparks makes a living helping folks who have bats in the belfry. He also helps people who have woodchucks in the garden, skunks in the yard and squirrels in the attic.

Sparks, who owns “Sparks Ark” in Windham, is a wildlife rehabilitator and nuisance animal troubleshooter. He has seen it all. He has even removed ducks and cats from homeowners’ chimneys. “A lot of things come down the chimney. You would be amazed,” he said.

Wearing a 9-foot long, 40-pound female boa constrictor named Squeezer around his neck, Sparks entertained children and adults Saturday at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray with his cute and not-so-cute animal friends as well as his practical advice for dealing with wildlife that has decided to drop in for a visit at your house and won’t leave.

Children squealed with delight when they saw Eeyore, a tiny, week-old African Pygmy goat that wagged its tail and climbed into their laps like a puppy. “A goat would be a good pet,” said John Martins, who was visiting with his wife and two daughters from Westport, Mass. “You wouldn’t have to cut the grass anymore.”

But everyone approached Squeezer very tentatively. Some people reached out to touch her but most stood a foot or two away and asked questions like “Will she bite?” and “Is she going to squeeze you?”

Michelle Gibbert from Turner wore Squeezer around her neck momentarily, a brave move considering Gibbert is eight-and-a-half months’ pregnant. “It wasn’t slimy, just leathery. And heavy,” said Gibbert, who was with her husband and two young sons.

Luckily, there are no poisonous snakes among the nine different types that are found in Maine, Sparks said. But if you find one in your house and you have an opportunity to catch it before it slithers away, make sure you wear leather gloves to protect yourself from bites, he said.

Sparks has been rehabilitating wildlife for 30 years on the two acres at his private residence in Windham. He rehabilitates animals that have been injured by cars or predators, as well as baby animals that have lost their mother. Blossom the possum, who was on display Saturday, was rescued by Sparks after he found her mother dead on the road, having been struck by a vehicle. Three babies including Blossom were still alive in her tummy pouch. Squeezer was owned by someone who couldn’t handle her size, and Eeyore’s mother died after she birthed her babies.

Sparks said more than half of the animals he rehabilitates are eventually released back to the wild. “A lot of animals have to be put down or they die because they have been injured too badly,” he said. “But we have about 55 to 60 percent success with sending them back.”

Sparks also helps homeowners around the state who are having wildlife nuisance issues. The most common problem is animals such as woodchucks, squirrels, possums, and skunks invading homeowners’ yards or a crawl space and wreaking havoc by eating a garden or making life miserable for a pet cat or dog. Sparks uses cage traps to catch the animals and release them. He said the wisest tactic is to call an animal control officer or someone like himself who specializes in catching wildlife.

“Don’t pick the animal up at all. If it’s inside the house, open a window or door,” he said. If there’s a bat in the house and you just have to get rid of it, turn on the lights. “Bats don’t like light. It will make them land and then you can pick it up with leather gloves or cover it with a jar, slide cardboard underneath, and take it outside.”

And if you are the unfortunate victim of an angry skunk, Sparks said scrub yourself – or your dog – with 16 ounces of hydrogen peroxide mixed with one half cup of baking soda and a tablespoon of liquid laundry or dish detergent. “My wife just makes me strip outside and jump in the river unless it’s winter,” he said.

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