Welfare of Animals in Urban Wildlife Management

Cities are increasingly important wildlife habitats, and how urban wildlife is managed — humanely or otherwise — shapes welfare outcomes for millions of animals in dense human environments.

Key Facts

Urban wildlife now includes species as large as coyotes, deer, and black bears in many North American cities
Over 50% of the world population lives in urban areas, making urban wildlife management a major issue
Non-lethal urban wildlife management methods have been adopted by many forward-thinking municipalities
Coyote lethal control has been shown to be ineffective at reducing urban populations long-term
Raccoon contraceptive vaccine programs have demonstrated population control without lethal management

Welfare Considerations

Urban wildlife management welfare depends on the methods chosen: lethal control (trapping, poisoning, shooting) causes pain, distress, and orphaned juveniles; non-lethal methods (deterrence, exclusion, fertility control) are increasingly proven effective for species including coyotes, deer, and raccoons. Cities that invest in coexistence infrastructure — wildlife crossing corridors, exclusion systems, fertility control programs — achieve population management goals without the welfare costs of lethal approaches.

What You Can Do

Advocate for non-lethal urban wildlife management policies in your municipality
Learn and practice wildlife coexistence skills (securing food waste, pet supervision, excluding animals from structures)
Donate to Project Coyote and similar urban wildlife coexistence advocacy organizations
Report urban wildlife management methods that cause unnecessary suffering to animal welfare authorities