As humans continue to expand their footprint on the landscape, conflicts between people and wildlife inevitably increase. In this 2-hour course, participants will learn techniques for identifying the root causes of human/wildlife conflicts, proven solutions for resolving conflicts, and strategies for preventing future conflicts. We will also explore ways to engage the community and establish cooperative partnerships between citizens, Animal Control agencies, and wildlife rehabilitators to ensure positive outcomes while reducing ineffective solutions such as trap-and-relocate.
As humans continue to expand their footprint on the landscape, conflicts between people and wildlife inevitably increase. In this 2-hour course, participants will learn techniques for identifying the root causes of human/wildlife conflicts, proven solutions for resolving conflicts, and strategies for preventing future conflicts. We will also explore ways to engage the community and establish cooperative partnerships between citizens, Animal Control agencies, and wildlife rehabilitators to ensure positive outcomes while reducing ineffective solutions such as trap-and-relocate.
Throughout our communities, buildings are going up, existing structures are being updated and remodeled, and new neighborhoods are sprouting like dandelions in a lawn. With all this activity going on, it is no surprise that encounters between people and wild animals are increasing. More people are working from home and homeschooling their children, consequently, they are more aware of what is happening in their backyards. Not only are wild animals increasingly seeking refuge in human-occupied areas, but they are also becoming more habituated to contact with humans. People are feeding birds, pets, and stray/feral cats outside, which attracts other wildlife as well.
Social media contributes to human/wildlife conflicts, as photos and videos portray positive interactions between people and wildlife. These images may be spontaneous, or they may be staged to achieve a particular effect. Unfortunately, this may lead to people attempting to duplicate these interactions or building on them with more extreme situations.
As interactions between people, pets, and wildlife increase, calls for help in resolving conflicts also increases. In the heat of the moment, though, the perception of the issue may be exaggerated. Animal Control Officers and wildlife rehabilitators must work together to find the root cause of the problem and provide effective solutions to resolve current issues and prevent future conflicts.
