Question
Hi, I set up a 250 gallon pond last summer and I had a serious issue with animals dying in the pond,it was moles and squirrels.Can you please let me know how to avoid it this year? The pond is below a large pine tree and the pond has ledges. I believe a mother mole made a nest along side the pond so when the babies came out one by one they just went straight into the water.The squirrels I don't have any idea it was babies and full grown ones.I also have concerns about the local cats that drink out of it everyday although the chemicals say they are safe? Do you think some netting or something would stop them from drowning?
                                     Thank You,
                                        Rochelle

Answer
That is quite a predicament an I'm sorry you are having to deal with it.  When you say you have a ledge, do you mean that there are a few inches between the waterline and the top edge of the pond?  If this is the case, you need to put a piece of driftwood or something that will allow an animal struggling to swim to climb up it and out of the pond.  These animals are not used to the water and will probably panic, meaning that they will need a very obvious route out.  Some of the chemicals (specifically disease treatments and algaecide) are bad to drink.  Dechlorinator and barley extract shouldn't harm them in their low concentrations.  The netting might make it even more difficult for them to exit the pond, should they fall in.  If you staked it into the ground, with a clearance of a few inches over the pond, you may see results.  It is hard to say what will happen, but you may need to experiment for a solution that meets your specific needs.