|
 Suburban
Wildlife Encounters Becoming More Common, Expert Says
AUBURN, Feb. 9, 2004 ---
Foxes, coyotes and deer? Oh, my!
Oh,
yes.
In
scores of neighborhoods across
Alabama,
neatly manicured suburban backyards bracketed by
forestland serve as magnets for deer and other
wildlife.
Even
so, many suburban residents think they’ve encountered
some freak of nature whenever they see wild animals,
often with fawns or pups in train, scampering down
neighborhood streets.
It’s no
freak of nature. Indeed, for many species, especially
deer, suburban landscapes provide almost ideal living
conditions.
“When
you go in and start fragmenting the habitat into smaller
tracts of land with a mixture of agriculture and wooded
areas, you’re providing an ideal habitat for several
wildlife species, especially white-tailed deer,” said
Dr. Jim Armstrong, an Alabama Cooperative Extension
System wildlife specialist and Auburn University
associate professor of forestry and wildlife sciences.
“True, many people associate deer with forests,
especially hardwood forests. And, yes, deer certainly
use hardwood forests, but generally they prefer a
mixture of habitats.”
Armstrong confessed that he has often debated whether
encroachment really is an accurate or even a fair way to
describe the increased presence of wildlife in suburban
areas.
“To say
that these animals are out of their habitats is wrong,”
he said. “A habitat is something that provides food,
water, shelter and space. So if you look at it that
way, you really can’t say that these animals have
encroached on someone else’s habitat. It’s just moved
to a place not typically considered an animal habitat.
But it’s a habitat nevertheless because all of its basic
needs are being met.”
For
suburban dwellers who find these animal encounters a
little, well, unsettling, there is some bad news: These
encounters are likely to become even more frequent in
the future as suburbia continues its sprawl into once
pristine animal habitat and as animal populations
continue to grow, largely due to hunting restrictions
and other measures mandated by state, federal and local
governments.
“They’re not going away,” he said. “And people should
understand that it is going to happen no matter what
they do. If you move into a subdivision at the edge of
town, it will be only a matter of time before deer begin
appearing.”
All
things considered, Armstrong said, it’s easy to
understand why human/animal interactions are likely to
emerge as one of the major environmental issues of the
next decade. He should know: Armstrong will soon be
heading up The Wildlife Society’s Wildlife Damage
Management Working Group, a committee composed of
wildlife biologists from around the world exploring ways
to resolve the increasing number of problems associated
with human/animal overlap.
Ironically, Armstrong said, many of these encounters
often turn out to be more of a people issue than a
human/animal problem. Indeed, some of the most serious
problems occur not so much because of the animals’
presence but because of the often testy debate that
arises over whether their presence is good or bad.
“Not
only do you have the problem of wildlife encroachment
but a clash of values among people,” Armstrong said. “It
can be a major challenge, especially when you’ve got
some people leaving out corn to attract deer because
they think they’re neat, while other residents are
complaining that the animals are eating away all of
their landscape plants.”
Armstrong even questions why animal encounters should be
viewed negatively. Granted, he said, there are some
serious encounters that must be addressed when
alligators, poisonous snakes or rabid animals are
involved. But these tend to be rare. In most cases,
animal encounters pose no threat to human safety. So,
the best thing people can do, he said, is to learn more
about these encounters and to accept them as a fact of
life.
“It
really doesn’t have to be a negative thing,” Armstrong
said. “It can be very positive. Wildlife is a great
educational tool and generates a lot of interest among
young people. If people can capitalize on these issues
and turn them into positive experiences, they will
derive long-term benefits.”
[Source: Dr. James Armstrong, Extension Wildlife Specialist and
Auburn
University
Associate Professor of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences,
(334) 844-9233; Writer: Jim Langcuster, News and Public
Affairs Specialist, (334) 844-5686.]
Article
in MS Word
Article
in Text
|
