Patent ID: 8859905

Claim:
A wildlife guard assembly for use with an electrical insulator body, the wildlife guard assembly comprising: first and second guard members defining a seat to receive the insulator body, the first and second guard members being connected to one another to permit relative movement between an open position, wherein the first and second guard members define a sideward opening to laterally receive the insulator body into the seat, and a closed position, wherein the first and second guard members at least partially encircle the insulator body to capture the insulator body in the seat; and an actuator member configured to be inserted between the first and second guard members in the open position, and configured to force the first and second guard members to move from the open position to the closed position when forcibly displaced radially to an installed position; wherein: the first and second guard members are pivotably connected to rotate relative to one another about a pivot axis between the open position and the closed position; the actuator member is configured, when forced radially to the installed position, to force the first and second guard members to rotate about the pivot axis from the open position to the closed position; and the actuator member has a leading engagement width proximate the pivot axis and a trailing engagement width distal from the pivot axis, and the trailing engagement width is greater than the leading engagement width.