ALL FOR THE LOVE OF CRITTERS

By Dwayne T. Tong

Daily Herald Staff Writer

As a young boy, Garon L. Fyffe loved animals and nature so much there were times he put worms in his pockets.

 Later, in college, during science classes when students visited fields to collect samples of plants and animals, some students collected dragonflies.

 Fyffe brought back Snapping Turtles, a bat's nest and other interesting creatures. Today, the 59-year-old Arlington Heights man's love for animals and nature is still strong.

 For the past 25 years, Fyffe has run A-B-C Humane Wildlife Rescue and Relocation, which is a business specializing in the humane capture of wild animals that have inadvertently entered homes or businesses.

 "I've always loved animals; I've always loved nature. I never changed," Fyffe said.

 Over the years, Fyffe has removed scores of squirrels, raccoons, birds, skunks, and other wildlife from places they don't belong.

 He even captured an alligator on a Naperville golf course and removed buffalo from a man's back yard.

 Exactly how does one get buffalo to leave a back yard? Here's how: Get some folks on motorcycles to carry theater curtains, and then ride towards the herd "as if a movable wall was attacking them."

 And while animals may become aggressive if they find themselves cornered or confused, Fyffe says the myth of the rabid wild animal attacking someone in their home is just that.

 "Wild animals are not confrontational with human beings. There's no ambulance that picks them up," Fyffe said. "If you give them an out, they'll take it."

 On all calls, Fyffe takes his handling gloves, cages, a tranquilizer gun and other items to safely capture and remove the animals. Most of the municipalities in Cook, Lake and DuPage counties have his phone number.

 When the animals are captured, Fyffe says they are released near the location where they were caught or given to veterinarians who rehabilitate injured wild animals.

 What he no longer can do is release wild animals back into the wilds of the Cook County Forest Preserve District. The top months for animal removal calls, he said, are May, June, and July. Most of the animals breed in February and give birth in April.

 And while he values animals, Fyffe notes they can cause thousands of dollars in damage to houses.

 A family of raccoons can cost the unknowing homeowner untold expenses for roof repair if it takes residence in the attic.

 And hives of bees and wasps, who prefer to insert themselves in houses with cedar wood, can also be expensive for the homeowner.

 Fyffe says during the busy months he's on-call around the clock because it is not unusual for him to receive calls from frazzled homeowners who discover in the middle of the night they're sharing their residence with raccoons.

 The one thing Fyffe won't do, however, is kill whatever entered a house or business.

 "There are a lot of animals we share the earth with. We have to teach that to our children," he said