Should I list Wildlife pictures to my listing

[Pia377]

Hej,

What do you think about pictures of these animals in the ad?

We live in the middle of a forest, we know the animals is around, but never or hardly been seeing them: Lynx, wild boar, moose, grous, deer, spiders, waspsand more maybe. Would it be necessary or scare away the guests? 

Thanks in advance/

Pia

[M199]

@Pia377 

Aw, such a great picture. We also have wildlife nearby but rarely seen.  Black bear, fox,snakes, quirrels, bats, owls, wild turkeys.  All harmless.  Of 56 guests, only 1 has seen a bear from a distance.

We Meet and Greet all our guests, so I just casually mention wlldlife and tell guests to keep their distance, more for the protection of the wildlife. Also, I mention the late night screeching of owls.  Guests have thanked me on check out for the information about the owls, stating they would have been terrified if they hadn't known.

Because of our Meet and Greet, we do not advertise as it is not a real concern or issue.

[Pia377]

Thanks ... 

I totally forgot about the owls/

Pia

[Sarah977]

@Pia377  The photos aren't "necessary", as they are not a part of your listing and you say that while they are around, they are not often seen.

I'd be more worried about guests expecting to see them and complaining if they didn't, than it scaring them away :-).

But seriously, you do want to write up your listing so you don't get city slicker guests who will freak out, cancel, and leave because they heard an animal sound.  

I read a suggestion once which I thought was a cool idea for hosts who have listings where there is a lot of wildlife around- make a photo book for guests, describing each animal, their habits, etc., and make it like a game for guests to check off any of them they are lucky enough to spot.

Of course you should mention in your ad, in the house manual, and/or directly to guests if you have in-person contact with them if there are any safety precautions they should take, like not leaving food or food garbage where it could attract unwelcome visitors. 

My friends and I once had to warn a group of clueless German tourists we encountered while cross country skiing who were snapping photos of some cute wild baby bears off the side of the road, and who were walking closer and closer to them, as if they were in Disneyland, that the mother bear was doubtless right around the corner and would viciously attack them. You should have seen how quickly they scurried back to their car and locked the doors, calling Danke! 

[Pia377]

Thanks ...

We already have photos in the Welcome File. Will develop some more.

Really like the 'game-thing'.

'... snapping photos ...' WOW, nonono ... never! (Hihihi)

Pia

[Inna22]

@Pia377 I would be worried that my guests would expect to see them. If you have a picture you took, you could add that one

[Colleen253]

@Pia377 I have a photo or two of some of the wildlife guests may encounter. I also make mention of wildlife in 'things to note'. I include a caution that they are to be enjoyed from a distance, for safety. We host a lot of families, so I want parents to be aware. The kids are often out running around outside the large acreage. I sometimes get surprised myself, and have come around a corner only to be face to face with a moose. 

[Pia377]

Thanks ... 

We haven't had moose so close, but we have seen them/

Pia 

A cow moose with calf 

[Colleen253]

@Pia377 It looks like you are on the edge of a great forest. I imagine it is teeming with wildlife!

The wildlife all get very close in our area. Here are some shots of a cow moose and yearling in my backyard, after a sleepover. The yearling made a breakfast out of the shrubs under my window. The other proceeded to trim my entire cotoneaster. The free yard work was appreciated. 🤣

 

[Karla533]

I have a photo I took of a mule deer on our property on my listing. I also list all the wildlife we have, which includes bobcats, coyotes, hawks and the occasional black bear.

I basically do what @Colleen253 does.

My insurance agent told me a story that motivated me. Some guests took a cabin in the woods and a bat flew into their cabin. They sued the AirBnB host for "emotional distress" because the bat was flying around and they got scared, and because the host never told them there were any bats in the area.

I doubt that lawsuit went very far. But that's one reason I mention the wildlife we have.

[Pia377]

Thanks ... 

We have bats to, forgot about them to.

We have a net door and net windows (our cats are not allowed inside the houses), so we don't have problems with bats indoors/

Pia

[Pia377]

To all of you ... 

I am so grateful for all your help/

Pia

[Linda-And-Richard0]

@Pia377 Our neighborhood has a large population of white tail deer.  I added a picture to our listing to advise them of the deer and listed other animals that frequent the yard such as foxes, skunks, armadillo, bats, owls and hawks.  I advise the guests that the deer appear tame but they are not.

[M199]

@Pia377 

And we have grouse, bunnies and wild turkey chowing down on corn and birdfood.  Last week, we had 27 wild turkeys show up under the feeder.

[Helen427]

Wow @Pia377 @M199 @Linda-And-Richard0 @Colleen253 @Karla533 

What gorgeous animal photos.

Wish we had some of those over here in Auckland, New Zealand.

Do you feed the boars/ Pigs @Pia377 ?

Have you always lived in a rural location with the wildlife you have all described with your photos?