Urban Wildlife Coexistence: Managing Human-Animal Conflict Humanely

Urban wildlife increasingly lives alongside humans; coexistence strategies based on deterrence and habitat management provide humane alternatives to lethal control.

Key Facts

Urbanization has not reduced wildlife diversity in many cities — raccoons, coyotes, foxes, deer, and raptors are increasingly urban residents
Human-wildlife conflict in urban areas typically involves property damage, perceived safety concerns, and pet predation
Lethal control (trapping, poisoning, shooting) is generally ineffective long-term as it creates population vacuums that new individuals fill
Coyote hazing — using noise, water, and movement to maintain coyote fear of humans — reduces conflict without killing
Wildlife-proofing homes (securing trash, removing attractants, sealing entry points) addresses conflict at the source
Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides bioaccumulate in raptors, owls, and coyotes that eat poisoned rodents — causing unintended wildlife deaths
Community education programs reduce conflict by changing human behavior rather than targeting the animals
Cities with active urban wildlife programs have lower conflict rates and higher public tolerance for wildlife presence

Welfare Considerations

Urban wildlife welfare involves both the welfare of individual animals caught in human-wildlife conflict and the broader welfare of urban wildlife populations managed through lethal control programs. Animals captured in leg-hold traps or by body-grip traps suffer acute, often prolonged, pain and distress. Poisoned rodents die slowly from anticoagulant hemorrhage, and the secondary poisoning of predators creates additional welfare harm rippling through urban food webs. Hazing and deterrence programs protect human interests without imposing welfare harms on wildlife. Integrated pest management approaches that address attractants before resorting to lethal control are both more effective and more humane. Urban areas represent an opportunity to demonstrate that human-wildlife coexistence is possible at scale with the right management approaches and community education.

What You Can Do

Wildlife-proof your home: secure trash in locked containers, remove outdoor food sources, seal roof and wall entry points
Avoid using second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides — use snap traps or first-generation options to prevent raptor and predator secondary poisoning
Learn and practice coyote hazing if you encounter habituated coyotes in your neighborhood
Support your city parks and wildlife department in developing non-lethal wildlife conflict management programs
Educate neighbors about attractant management before conflicts escalate to demands for lethal control
Report injured or orphaned wildlife to licensed wildlife rehabilitators rather than attempting to handle or raise them yourself
Advocate for city and county wildlife policies that prioritize coexistence and non-lethal management over lethal control as the default