Living with Urban Wildlife

Wildlife interactions are a part of everyday life in urban and rural community of the desert southwest. Coyotes, bobcats, and javelina are common visitors to neighborhoods in the Tucson area along with a rich assortment of songbirds, raptors, rabbits, squirrels and reptiles. Pima County works in partnership with the Arizona Game and Fish Department to deliver informative presentations and interactive exhibits that offer practical tips for coexisting with wildlife in the urban setting.

Are you planning a large community event?
The Living with Urban Wildlife mobile exhibit offers interactive exhibits and face-to-face interactions to engage all ages. Friendly and knowledgeable educators demonstrate methods to exclude wildlife from your home; offer pet safety tips, and ways to protect your landscape from foraging wildlife. Get hands-on with animal hides, tracks and skull replicas to better understand the habits of your wild neighbors.

For smaller gatherings and indoor venues we offer a selection of programs on the theme of Living with Urban Wildlife. These programs are appropriate for groups of 10 to 50 people and are tailored for ages 18 and up. All programs are free and last 45-60 minutes unless otherwise noted. Follow this link for a complete listing of Adult Group Programs. For information and scheduling contact eeducation@pima.gov 520-615-7855.

Living with Urban Wildlife
Learn about our resident wildlife, their habitat needs, and why they may be attracted to your yard. We also discuss ways to design and manage your personal property to benefit both you and wildlife, and practical tips on how to discourage wildlife that may become a nuisance or pose a risk to you and your family.

Gardening For Birds and Butterflies
Learn how to create an environment that will attract birds and butterflies to your home landscape by understanding their needs for food, water, sunlight and space. Many of the common local birds and butterflies are illustrated with colorful slides.

Venomous and Poisonous Creatures
Learn about the biology and adaptations of some of Arizona’s amazing creatures including rattlesnakes, scorpions, and Gila monsters.

The Wonderful World of Bats
Bats are nocturnal, secretive, and the only mammals capable of flight. At this presentation you will learn about the exciting night life and adaptations of this interesting group of animals and the important roles they play in the environment.

Living Wildlife Themes for Children and Families
The following is a selection of programs for organized youth groups that are in keeping with the Living with Urban Wildlife theme. Or follow this link to download the complete menu of Youth Group Programs. These programs are tailored to organized youth groups (ages 5-12). For information and scheduling contact eeducation@pima.gov 520-615-7855.

Camouflage – Hide and Seek in the Desert
Animals come in all sorts of colors or have patterns and shapes that attract attention or may help them blend into their surroundings. A digital slide presentation will be followed by a series of engaging activities to learn how camouflage plays a role in animal survival.

Experiencing Nature through the Senses
Animals use their senses to explore their surroundings, look for food and even find a mate. Use your senses to learn about the plants and animals that call the Sonoran Desert home.

Animal Tracking
Some animals may be hard to find but they often leave behind one tell-tale clue—their tracks. Your group is sure to enjoy this activity using rubber track replicas to recreate animal tracks and learn how to identify tracks in the wild.

Skulls from the Sonoran Desert
You can tell a lot about an animal by looking at the size and shape of its skull. The group will examine replicas of skulls to learn about what the animals eat, where they live and how they hunt.

Habitats by Design (Best suited for ages 8 –12)
The group will learn the basics of what makes good wildlife habitat. Using plant and animal resource cards the group will assemble a plan for a backyard wildlife habitat.

Pollinators and Food
We’ll take a close look at the parts of a flower and discuss how, with the help of pollinators, plants create fruits. Then we’ll have an activity to better understand how we rely on the work of bees and other pollinators for most of the food on our plates.

Additional Living with Urban Wildlife Resources

Living with Urban Wildlife Booklet

The Arizona Game and Fish Department maintains web pages with a myriad of information about Living with Wildlife. Visit www.azgfd.gov

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a comprehensive source of information on plants, animals and people in the Sonoran Desert region. Visit www.desertmuseum.org

For information on wildlife friendly native landscape plants visit the Arizona Native Plant Society web pages www.aznps.com and the Tucson Botanical Gardens www.TucsonBotanical.org

For more tips on pet safety visit Pima County Animal Care www.pima.gov/PACC and www.hssaz.org