Urban Wildlife
It’s no secret the Chattanooga area has a large and varied wildlife population. Some of these beautiful animals we see deep in our woods, some we see in our backyards and some we see in urban areas. Seeing a deer, fox, coyote, raccoon or raptor in a mid-sized city’s urban areas seems unlikely, but it happens. Fox, coyote, great horned owls in downtown Chattanooga? Yep! Why have they set up house amongst humans?
Urban wildlife utilizes human dominated ecosystems and exploits these developed areas in various ways. Urban, suburban and exurban growth create prime edge habitat where animals often live and interface with humans. Washington, DC has become a leader in urban wildlife conservation and biodiversity. By embracing the local wildlife with enhanced habitats and conservation, both wildlife and humans are reaping the benefits. According to Tommy Wells, director of the District’s Department of Energy & Environment, the nation’s capital has more green space per capita than nearly any city in the country. “The city is rewilding streams by turning pipes and drainage ditches back into meandering waterways buffered by vegetation, an effort that has led to a resurgence in birds, fish and reptiles. It’s turning some open spaces into meadows filled with plants that pollinators feed on instead of mowed grass. And it’s encouraging residents to plant milkweed, which has been a boon to monarch butterflies, a recent addition to the endangered species list. Washington also has enacted regulations restricting the use of coal tar and some pesticides, aiming to improve the water quality of the Anacostia and Potomac rivers. It has strict stormwater regulations, encouraging developers to plant trees and install green roofs.” Wells remarks these efforts have paid off.
Travis Gallo, urban ecology professor at George Mason University remarks, “Shad runs have rebounded on the Potomac River and the city may soon allow anglers to keep the fish for the first time since 1982. Eagles, bobcats and nesting ravens have been spotted in the District for the first time in years, while a flock of turkeys has taken up residence east of the Capitol. Perhaps most importantly, the newcomers are being welcomed.”
“We’re seeing a major change in the attitude of DC residents towards wildlife,” Wells said. “It used to be that if there were bats in your eaves, you’d call Animal Control. Now we have residents asking us how to build a bat house.”
This attitude furthers the understanding that wildlife sighting is not a problem to be solved. It’s an opportunity to learn about the species, admire it, respect it and conserve it.
The Urban Wildlife Group helps us understand as we embrace these neighbors and develop proper habitat for them, their food sources increase, water and shelter become available and these animals thrive. Refuges and parks in urban areas can act as stepping stones for animals navigating human-dominated landscapes. Protecting and enhancing paths for animal movement is important to the preservation of genetic viability of urban wildlife populations. If you isolate small populations, inbreeding will occur and the population’s health will decline. Wildlife corridors can also rescue small populations from genetic isolation by allowing new individuals to immigrate from larger, healthier populations.
The Urban Wildlife Group has developed the following designations of urban wildlife - human obligates, associates, exploiters, adapters or avoiders. “These designations relate to the degree to which urban wildlife benefits from or is harmed by anthropogenic habitat change. Whereas some species are able to take advantage of human food subsidies or refuge from predators, others persist in human-dominated landscapes by avoiding contact with people as much as possible.”
Obligates might not be considered wildlife and are often domestic animals, however, they play a major role in urban wildlife community composition. Obligates compete with, disturb, and most importantly, predate upon native species. Think domestic cat and dog.
Human associates and exploiters are generalists or omnivorous species that take advantage of food supplied by humans like gardens, garbage, bird feeders or pet food. It’s like the Krispy Kreme hot sign is flashing in your yard! Exploiter populations may achieve much higher numbers in urban areas than in the wild because of the prevalence of available food and sometimes less pressure of predation. Think raccoon, opossum, American crow, gray squirrel, and songbirds.
Human adapter species may utilize human resources and survive in human-dominated areas, but do not receive any added benefits from living with humans. Often located on the periphery of development, they may be common in areas dominated by rural and exurban development. Think bobcat, coyote, white-tailed deer, black bear, red fox, striped skunk, or red-tailed hawk.
Human avoiders are not expected to use urban areas, but occasionally come into contact with people when attempting to disperse or migrate. Avoiders may have a conflict history with humans or very specific habitat requirements for reproduction or foraging that are unattainable in human settlements. These species can experience high mortality rates or decreased reproductive rates in human-dominated habitats. This category is largely composed of local native species with particular habitat requirements. When thinking about human avoiders, consider which species you see in open spaces or state parks near your town, but not within its limits. Think mountain lion, grey fox, pileated woodpecker.
The Urban Wildlife Group believes “human welfare and safety depend on a thorough understanding of urban wildlife and their interactions with the anthropogenic landscape. Pets and livestock are often most at risk from interactions with urban wildlife and may require extra precautions to ensure their protection from native predators.” To avoid human-wildlife conflict, reduce attractants for unwanted animals. Lock all outdoor garbage cans, dispose of fallen fruit from fruit trees, keep pets indoors at night, keep goats, sheep, and chickens in a covered enclosure at night, keep cats indoors as much as possible especially when migratory birds are in the area, use birdfeeders specifically designed not to spill or be accessible by non-target species, and be aware of any wildlife-borne diseases in your region that could infect you or your pet.
We live in one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world. Get to know your wild neighbors, develop habitat for them, reduce your noise and light pollution, enjoy their presence and learn about the jobs they perform to keep our environment healthy. Remember, when our environment is healthy, we humans are healthy and wildlife plays a vital role in this equation.
