Living with Wildlife

People and Wildlife - Reducing and Managing Conflict

Wildlife collisions often result in repair costs, medical costs and insurance costs. The most critical result of a wildlife collision is injury or mortality of wildlife and humans. This is particularly true of deer and moose accidents.

In southern Ontario, people share neighbourhoods with Raccoons, Striped Skunks, Red Foxes, bats, birds, Coyotes, and even White-tailed Deer. Some wild animals adapt very well to living near people.  Striped Skunks and Raccoons, for example, can thrive in urban areas.  In central and northern Ontario, people also live in Moose, Gray Wolf and Black Bear country.

As human development and populations increase, we place more pressure on wildlife and its habitat.  With increased contact between people and wild animals comes a greater risk of conflicts.  Some of these conflicts are preventable.

There are countless ways that people and development adversely affect wildlife - for example through habitat fragmentation and loss, and pollution. Here are some of the types of conflicts that have impacts on people:

• Urban Issues - Concerns arise when wildlife causes damage to homes or parks (e.g., Raccoons, bats, birds getting into chimneys, attics, gardens and garbage)
  
  
• Public Safety and Health Issues - Public health and safety issues can include vehicle-wildlife collisions, wildlife attacks, and the potential for disease transmission (e.g., rabies, Lyme disease, West Nile)
  
  
• Economic Issues - Costs that arise when people and animals come into conflict (e.g., agricultural damage, rabies control costs, damage from wildlife collisions with vehicles, damages caused by Beaver flooding) 
  
  
• Ecological Impacts - These are effects on the ecosystem (e.g., the impact of wildlife diseases on native wildlife populations, the activities of abundant wildlife such as Beaver or White-tailed Deer, or non-native species crowding out native species or causing other damage).
  

The Role of the Ministry of Natural Resources

Some wild animals, such as this Striped Skunk, adapt very well to living near people.

The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) has worked collaboratively with other agencies such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care, and local municipalities to manage and reduce conflicts between people and wild animals.

MNR's efforts range from providing fact sheets and advice to the public, to province-wide programs (such as rabies control) that focus on public education, reducing risks, and responding to the public's concerns.

Guiding Document

The MNR worked with other ministries, federal agencies and stakeholders to develop the Strategy for Preventing and Managing Human-Wildlife Conflicts in Ontario.

The guiding principles of the strategy include:

• Recognizing that wildlife has intrinsic ecological, economic, social and cultural value
  
  
• Responses to human-wildlife conflicts should be ecologically sound and based on scientific and technical knowledge
  
  
• Outreach and education are important tools for minimizing human-wildlife conflicts.

Ministry of Natural Resources Programs

Habitat is an essential element in the health and survival of wildlife. Habitat is a species' "home," the place that provides everything it needs to survive.

MNR fish and wildlife researchers support efforts to manage and minimize human-wildlife conflicts. 

Through the Ontario Stewardship Program the MNR works closely with community members and landowners.  These partners work together on workshops, educational materials and other resources related to wildlife conflicts.  They promote steps to help landowners avoid these conflicts.  

In 2004, the MNR launched the province-wide Bear Wise program.  This program works to reduce human-bear conflicts by focusing on prevention, awareness and education.  Efforts include:

• a public awareness campaign
  

• a toll-free hotline to report problem Black Bears
  

• a community-funding program (to support projects such as bear-proof containers, electric fencing, research and monitoring projects)
  

• fostering partnerships with local police and the Ontario Provincial Police.

The MNR has also worked with the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association.  A  joint publication, Wildlife Wise, offers farmers best management practices for handling wildlife conflicts.

The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act also addresses human-wildlife conflicts. For example, the act allows landowners, in certain situations, to remove or kill wildlife (such as Black Bears, Striped Skunks, foxes, wolves or Raccoons) that is causing damage to property or threatening livestock.