Human-wildlife conflicts in urban and suburban areas can be managed through targeted non-lethal strategies that protect both human interests and animal welfare.
Urban wildlife conflict mitigation is a welfare issue because the most common response to wildlife conflict is lethal control that removes individuals causing immediate problems without addressing the underlying attractants. Removed animals are replaced by others attracted to the same resources. Non-lethal mitigation that addresses attractants and modifies habitat to be less inviting provides lasting conflict reduction without welfare harm. Where individual habituation has created specific risks such as aggressive coyotes that approach humans, hazing programs that restore appropriate fear responses through non-harmful aversive conditioning serve both wildlife welfare and human safety. The welfare-optimal approach manages conflicts through the least harmful effective means while maintaining coexistence with urban wildlife that provides ecological and psychological benefits.