Resources for Coexisting with Wildlife

The expansion of human development over time – in city, suburban, and rural environments – has placed human needs in direct conflict to those of wildlife who either share their environments with humans, or whose natural habitat has been encroached or destroyed altogether.

These conflicts may be trivial or fundamental, depending on several factors. A fox rummaging through your trash might be an annoyance whereas rats gnawing through your electrical wiring of your house might have major practical and financial implications for you and your family. A raccoon using your attic space to create a nest for her family might be irritating but easily addressed by patching holes in your roof whereas sharing an environment with animals who could do us harm – like rattlesnakes – might cause genuine fear for companion animals or children and require more urgent action.

Whatever the challenges we face in sharing our world with other living beings, Born Free USA believes it is our responsibility to treat wildlife of any species carefully, respectfully, and humanely. In many cases, when we come into conflict with wildlife in our living environments, the response is lethal control – the animals are killed for our convenience rather than seeking a way forward to solve the problem without resorting to violent and lethal means.

These resources will help you to understand the humane options available to deal with wildlife in and around your living space, and to proactively act to exclude unwanted wildlife before they become problematic.

Raccoon looking over a fence

Bear ripping through a garbage bag.

General Principles for Peaceful Coexistence with Wildlife

In these resources, you will find solutions to problems caused by specific animals who you may come into contact with in your day-to-day life. However, in our ever-changing world, it would be impossible to capture every kind of interaction between us and other species. With that in mind, the general principles below can act as guidance for resolving conflict with species otherwise not covered in our coexistence guide.

Give them space – The easiest way to avoid conflict is to leave other animals (including insects) to their own daily lives. If they do not pose a danger and you do not need to go near them, simply allow them to go about their day undisturbed.
Gently move them to a safe space – if you find an animal in your home and can safely and gently remove them, please do. If you are worried about doing it yourself, enlist the help of a friend or family member. If the animal is potentially dangerous, call a local wildlife rescue or animal control for advice.
Use deterrents in place of lethal control – there are a lot of easy to implement and often natural remedies you can use to deter animals from coming into your home. You can find specific deterrents for commonly found species in our guidance.
Keep companion animals safe and monitor them when outside. This is not just to keep your beloved family member safe, but also to protect other animals from harm.
Keep trash in sealed containers and do not leave food waste lying around outside.
Seal food containers in your house to deter rodents.
Don’t feed wildlife.
Check brush piles and other natural waste for animals before clearing. This is particularly important if you are burning waste – someone may have made a nest in there.
In cold weather, check under the hood of your car before starting the engine, or if your vehicle has been left standing for a prolonged period. Small animals like mice and squirrels may use your car as a nesting space.

Species Guides