Busting Myths

Wild Animals Don't Belong in the City

 "I saw a Raccoon in my yard and I'm afraid that he won't be able to fi nd food!" "A Coyote just crossed the street in my cul-de-sac. Is he lost?" If the phone calls we receive at PAWS Wildlife Center are any indication, there's a fairly common belief that wild animals don't belong in the city. This is completely understandable as it seems counterintuitive that wild animals would be able to thrive in settings that bear little resemblance to what we think of as their natural habitat. But thrive they do, and in the case of some species, their populations reach higher densities in the city than they do in areas with less human disturbance.

Wild animals don't look at the land in the same way that we do. They will live anywhere they can find suitable food, shelter, water and other necessities. Highly adaptable species find the basic necessities in abundance in our cities and towns. In their minds the presence of these basic necessities of life confirms that they are in a place they belong.

(For what you should or should not provide for animals, please read "Wild Animals Need Habitat, Not Handouts.")