Ryan Scott Ottney

PDT Staff Writer

NEW BOSTON — With summer now officially upon us, everyone is looking for places to cool off. That appears to be true even for the animals, as New Boston Village Administrator Steve Hamilton reports trouble with wild animals migrating from the hillside and into residential neighborhoods in search of shade and water.

Hamilton said he has already captured several snakes in the residential areas of village, including a few dangerous copperheads. He warns residents not to approach a wild animal, and children should never try to pick up a wild snake.

This isn’t the village’s first encounter with mischievous wildlife. Just last month a large, colorful peacock landed in New Boston and led Hamilton in a comical foot chase before he ultimately let it go — fearing for his own safety. The peacock was reportedly owned by man living in Portsmouth, and it is unknown whether he retrieved it.

The ongoing Ohio 139 project was also nearly foiled by wildlife before it began last year, when surveyors discovered a nest of endangered bats living in the area. They were unable to disturb the nest, and were forced to wait until the bats migrated away on their own before work could begin on the hillside slip repair.

Hamilton said he has also been called out many times for loose dogs, cats under houses, opossums in trash cans, raccoons in Dumpsters, and deer running loose in the village. He said all of the animals that have been captured have been either returned to their owner or safely released into the wild.

Ryan Scott Ottney can be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 235, or rottney@heartlandpublications.com.