Living with Wildlife: Coexisting on Shared Land
Learn how to live with Arizona’s wildlife, especially in urban areas. Prevention is key, and fortunately taking a few simple steps can help prevent many of the most common wildlife-related problems around your home. Learn about why it’s important not to feed wildlife, the desert tortoise adoption program, managing wildlife in drought, and how to connect with wildlife control businesses and rehabilitators.
living with wildlife in arizona
Mountain lions
Coyotes
Bobcats
Bears
Keep Wildlife Wild – brochure
Leave Baby Wildlife Alone – brochure
Living with wildlife in arizona
Javelina
Bats
Woodpeckers
Raptors (birds of prey)
don’t feed wildlife
You can help keep wildlife wild. Feeding wildlife is not in the best interest of wildlife as it often leads to property damage and/or safety issues for people and pets living in the area.
desert tortoises
Tortoise adoption program
Each year AZGFD adopts out hundreds of captive desert tortoises that are surrendered to the department. These tortoises cannot be released back into the wild because captive tortoises can transmit diseases that can decimate our wild population. Desert tortoises are nontraditional pets, but are fascinating animals and families can gain an appreciation of desert wildlife by caring for a tortoise and watching its natural behavior.
drought and wildlife in arizona
The longer a drought lasts the more physical stress it can place on wildlife, lowering their reproductive success, and leaving them less able to survive the regular challenges of a life in nature.
Fewer water sources cause wildlife to congregate in singular locations, increasing predation risk.
Wildlife control businesses
The following businesses have a Wildlife Service License from the Arizona Game and Fish Department, and can remove and relocate nuisance wildlife or give advice to resolve conflicts with wildlife for a fee.
Wildlife rehabilitators
Many rehabilitators are specialists with particular types of animals, others will provide care for all species. Some wildlife rehabilitators, although located in major metropolitan areas, operate statewide.
Want to Get Involved with Wildlife Conservation?
Volunteer your time, or donate to help us with conserving and protecting our wildlife. When you purchase a hunting or fishing license online, resources go back into wildlife conservation.
donate to wildlife conservation
With your help, we can continue to conserve & protect Arizona’s wildlife.
volunteer for projects
If you have a passion for wildlife and want to help us conserve and protect it, we’d love to have you on our team!