HelpWildlife.co.uk Helping you to help them
  • WILDLIFE ADVICE
    • Sick, Injured or At Risk Wildlife
    • Problem Wildlife
    • Advice Posters
  • WILDLIFE RESCUE DIRECTORY
  • HELP!
  • ABOUT US
    • Contact Us
    • Our Policies
    • Get Involved
    • Feedback
    • Donate

How can we help?

Popular Search birdinjured foxmangesquirrelbird been captured
Advice by Species - Adult Birds

Advice by Species - Adult Birds

4
  • Test Elementor
  • When to Help Waterfowl
  • When to Help Owls and Birds of Prey
  • When to Help Garden Birds
Advice by Species - Baby Birds

Advice by Species - Baby Birds

5
  • When to Help Baby Waterfowl
  • When to Help Baby Gulls
  • When to Help Baby Feral Pigeons
  • When to Help Baby Garden Birds
  • When to Help Baby Birds of Prey and Owls
Advice by Species - Mammals

Advice by Species - Mammals

9
  • When to Help Badgers
  • When to Help Bats
  • When to Help Deer
  • When to Help Foxes
  • When to Help Hedgehogs
  • When to Help Otters
  • When to Help Rodents
  • When to Help Squirrels
  • Baby rabbits and hares
Common Scenarios

Common Scenarios

20
  • Birds trapped in elevated netting
  • Birds in Shops or Warehouses
  • Peafowl
  • Animals Hit by a Car
  • Reuniting Baby Squirrels
  • Helping Stray Racing Pigeons
  • Oiled Birds
  • Birds with Broken Wings
  • Nesting Birds
  • Birds in Chimneys
  • Animals Tangled in Netting, Fencing or Line
  • Animals Caught by a Cat or Dog
  • Autumn Juvenile Hedgehogs
  • Helping Foxes with Mange
  • Wildlife in Urban Areas
  • Helping Animals with a Limp
  • Ducks nesting away from a water source
  • Airplane Wing
  • Fledgling Garden Birds
  • Birds flying into windows
Practical Advice for Finders

Practical Advice for Finders

6
  • Step 1: Assessing if Help is Needed
  • Step 2: Capturing a Wild Animal in Need of Help
  • Step 3: Finding and Contacting a Wildlife Rescue
  • Step 4: Short term care of a wildlife casualty
  • Step 5: Getting A Wildlife Casualty to Rescue
  • Sending an Animal to Rescue in an Uber
Other Articles

Other Articles

7
  • What to do if you find dead wildlife
  • Rescue Criticism and Abuse
  • Releasing or rehoming hedgehogs in your garden
  • Finding Help for ‘Vermin’
  • The Ethics of Pigeon Racing
  • Who to Call for Help
  • Caring for Wildlife Casualties Yourself
Conflict Advice

Conflict Advice

8
  • Why Traditional ‘Pest-Control’ Doesn’t Work
  • Solving Problems with Squirrels
  • Solving Problems with Rodents
  • Solving Problems with Pigeons
  • Solving Problems with Bats
  • Solving Problems with Corvids
  • Solving Problems with Foxes
  • Wildlife Management Resources
  • Home
  • Advice
  • Common Scenarios
  • Wildlife in Urban Areas

Wildlife in Urban Areas

We often receive enquiries from people concerned about seeing wildlife in what are perceived as unusual or unsuitable locations. Most commonly these enquiries relate to Deer, Rabbits or Hedgehogs seen in built up areas.

Our wildlife is increasingly becoming comfortable with urban areas, perhaps because urbanisation means we are building on their habitats but also because living close to people can bring some benefits. Hedgehogs, for example, may do better in urban areas due to lower numbers of badgers. In the case of Deer, populations are rising since they no longer have any natural predators so they are having to become more ‘open-minded’ about how they live in order to find territories and opportunities for food. Sometimes we have an image of how certain species live which doesn’t fit with the reality. For example, we might think of deer living in large groups and roaming across moorland, and while this may be true for Red Deer, smaller species like Roe and Muntjac tend to live solitarily outside of the breeding season and are small and agile enough to move easily through gardens and allotments which offer a rich buffet of edible delights.

Sometimes those contacting us are concerned that the animals are trapped. As a rule, if an animal could get into an area such as a garden, they can get back out again. Deer can quite easily hop fences and hedgehogs and rabbits can tunnel under them. The exception is if the way out is significantly different to the way in e.g. if they have fallen into a lower area and cannot climb out.

Although living in urban areas does present risks to wildlife – road accidents, dog attacks, litter etc – it is very rarely the right thing to intervene and remove a wild animal from an urban environment that they have chosen as their home. Capturing a healthy wild animal is an extremely stressful experience for them and, in the case of Deer in particular, can be dangerous for humans and potentially fatal for the animal due to capture myopathy. In some cases, it might mean separating animals from group or family members which would be detrimental to their welfare. An animal taken from their territory and moved to another, especially when this involves a dramatic change in environment such as moving from an urban to a rural area, is likely to experience considerable distress and difficulty in adapting and actually becomes more likely to become injured or killed as they frantically attempt to evade others of their species whose territories they may have invaded, establish a new territory, and find food and shelter.

In summary, as long as there are no visible injuries or illnesses and the animal is not trapped (i.e. the way out of where they are is not significantly different to the way in), there is no need to be concerned about the presence of wild animals in built up areas.

Was this article helpful?
Share This Article :
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
Still stuck? How can we help?

How can we help?

Updated on December 30, 2021
Helping Foxes with MangeHelping Animals with a Limp

Powered by BetterDocs

Have we Helped?

Helpwildlife.co.uk is a charity run website providing advice about sick, injured or problem wildlife, and a directory of around 600 wildlife rescue organisations. If you have found it to be a useful resource, please leave a comment on our feedback page.

Like HelpWildlife.co.uk on facebook for news, advice and to spread the word about our work.

NEED HELP?

Our helpdesk volunteers can advise when to intervene and put you in touch with wildlife rescues in your area. Submit a ticket here.

Copyright © Starlight Trust 2021.
Site by www.adamhowse.com
Website hosted by 79DESIGN

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Change Location
Find awesome listings near you!
 

Loading Comments...