Urban Wildlife Welfare: Living With Animals in Cities

Cities are increasingly important habitats for wildlife, but urban environments create unique welfare challenges for animals. Understanding how to live well with urban wildlife improves outcomes for both animals and people.

Key Facts

London is home to over 10,000 species of animals, including 47 bird of prey species and populations of foxes, badgers, and deer
Urban foxes have lived alongside humans in UK cities for over 80 years and play an important ecological role in pest control
Hedgehog populations have declined by 70% in rural areas but are more stable in towns and gardens with connected habitat
Light pollution affects over 80% of the world population and disrupts the behaviour of insects, birds, bats, and marine species
Urban swift populations have declined due to renovation of old buildings that removes nest sites
Bird window strikes kill an estimated 1 billion birds annually in the US and millions in the UK
Urban badgers face persecution through illegal badger baiting, which remains a serious welfare concern in some areas
Cities create heat island effects that stress urban wildlife during summer — provision of water is a critical welfare intervention

Welfare Considerations

Urban wildlife welfare involves both chronic and acute harms. Light pollution disrupts circadian rhythms in birds, bats, and insects, reducing foraging efficiency and increasing predation risk. Road traffic is a major source of mortality for foxes, hedgehogs, badgers, and urban birds. Cat predation kills an estimated 55 million birds and 55 million mammals annually in the UK. Buildings with reflective glass cause bird strikes. Illegal wildlife persecution — fox hunting, badger baiting, poisoning — still occurs in urban and peri-urban areas. However, cities also offer welfare benefits: reduced agricultural pesticide exposure, food provision from gardens, and protected nest sites in buildings and gardens. The net welfare outcome for urban wildlife depends heavily on how residents and planners manage the urban environment.

What You Can Do

Make your garden wildlife-friendly: log piles, hedgehog holes in fences, native plants, and wildlife ponds
Switch off unnecessary outdoor lighting at night to reduce light pollution impacts on wildlife
Apply window alert stickers or external screens to reduce bird window strike mortality
Keep cats indoors at night to reduce predation on birds and small mammals
Report suspected wildlife persecution — badger baiting, poisoning — to the police and RSPCA
Support Swift Conservation and RSPB campaigns for nest site provision in buildings
Advocate for urban planning policies that require wildlife connectivity and green infrastructure