Living with Wildlife 101

Americans are fortunate to have an enormous diversity of wildlife sharing the land, water, and sky with us.

But as people have moved into undeveloped areas and climate change has caused wildlife habitat to shift, conflicts with wild animals have also increased, often resulting in the death of the animals. Many of these species play a critical role in creating healthier ecosystems that benefit us all, so finding effective solutions to prevent and respond to these conflicts is essential.

Hear from regional experts about the tools that Defenders is using to help people and wildlife coexist:

What Defenders Is Doing to Help People and Wildlife Coexist

For decades, Defenders of Wildlife has been a leader in working with lawmakers, conservation professionals, local communities, and private landowners to develop innovative and effective methods for minimizing these conflicts.

• We are a leader in helping ranchers implement proven, nonlethal solutions to prevent attacks on livestock, such as using range riders to patrol for wolves and electric fencing to keep grizzlies out of small pastures, chicken coops and beeyards.
• We also provide resources to communities to help minimize conflicts—for example, providing bear-resistant trash cans and educating people on how to deal with wildlife encounters.
• And we work very closely with federal and state legislators and agency officials to help shape laws, policies, and programs that affect wildlife, like the innovative wolf coexistence plan passed in Oregon in 2011, and research on calf predation by Florida panthers.