Coexist: Thoughts on preserving the wildlife around us while continuing to thrive
With the ever increasing urbanization of the world, there has been a exponential growth of issues that have occurred due to a shared urban-wildlife environment. One of the biggest issues is in regards to the urbanized animals that have adapted to living in the cities and suburbs we call home. The issue that really hits home for those living in the Madison area especially are the human-wildlife interactions that negatively affect one or the other, and this has given wildlife managers some fairly trivial tasks to try and solve them.
If you've looked at the news, you sometimes find wild articles of civilians wacky antics toward ridding their neighborhood of some wildlife that oversteps themselves-- some of them workout well and some do not. Two examples that come to mind is one clip of a kid seeking to chase a turkey out of the sidewalk and ends up getting chased by said turkey. Another, a little more serious but still zany, a California man tries to post a bounty on social media targeting a coyote that killed his cat. This man was reproached by law enforcement. Both of these examples showcase the need for expertise in this situations and why these experts should be the ones to find the solution. The questions is, what can they do with the plethora of interactions that occur with greatly varying degrees?
The answer that I can provide is that it depends on the situation. If I was a manager facing these problems, I would try to do what's best for both the humans and wildlife involved, but would try to remove the wildlife in the most just way possible. Lethal methods would be a last resort in dealing with these issues. I think that the more common solution would be some sort of non-lethal method to driving animals out of an area. Another thing I would try to do is to inform the public of how to deal with the wildlife. For example, warnings on feeding animals which leads to negative consequences for the wildlife. In dealing in this way, great amount of issues can become resolved.
Shifting gears a bit, thinking about how we can share an environment with wildlife while also enjoying the beauty of nature is possible. For instance, I really enjoy hiking in national parks, but so do a LOT of other people; and naturally with more humans touring an area there becomes more harm to the natural areas and wildlife due to pollution, littering, etc. I think one thing that could help in general for those that want to explore nature as humans is that the need to understand that they have a privilege to enjoy nature but also a responsibility to keep it as is if not make it better. That's why I always try to bring a bag with me for litter or garbage I find when hiking on a trail or going to a park, that way when I see garbage I can pick it up and dispose of it appropriately.
Citations:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NP-MufqCmk
https://www.berkeleyside.org/2021/08/17/coyote-sightings-bring-fear-experts-stress-need-to-learn-to-co-exist
Hi Aidan! I agree that as a manager killing the animal should be the last resort and non-lethal methods are much preferable. You mentioned a few scenarios where animals were doing obvious harm to humans living near them, but I was wondering how you would deal with a scenario where the animal is "peaceful" but the humans still want them gone. I for one can remember my parents cursing the rabbits that would build nests in our backyard, because it meant they were going to have to deal with a bunny massacre in a few weeks when the dog found them. Also, I work at a wildlife center where we get calls from people who want a completely non-problematic animal removed from their property. If the animal isn't hurting anybody do you think it has the right to be left alone even if the humans want it gone? Especially if it might hurt the animal to try and scare it off/relocate it? This is probably another situation that could at least partially be dealt with through education. But I'm curious, if you were a wildlife manger in this situation how would you approach it?
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