Utah’s growing population and related urban expansion have increased the number of wildlife encounters across the state in recent years. However, not every encounter or animal sighting needs to be reported to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
Wildlife encounters during the summer often occur when people are hiking or camping in the mountains or canyons, which are natural wildlife habitat areas. However, these encounters are also common in cities and other urban areas during the winter months. As snow falls in the mountains, deer, moose and other big game species move to lower elevations looking for food. Cougars, which prey mostly on deer, often follow the deer into the valleys.
While it may seem like cougars and other wildlife are migrating into neighborhoods more frequently, it is actually a combination of a few things:
• Increased building in the foothill areas and canyons (where wildlife are naturally located).
• An increase in the number of doorbell and security cameras on people’s homes (which capture more wildlife sightings that previously went undetected).
If you do happen to see wildlife in your neighborhood or yard, you should always keep your distance for your own safety and for the safety of the animal.
“Getting too close to a wild animal can cause the animal to feel threatened,” DWR Big Game Coordinator Dax Mangus said. “If it feels threatened, it will sometimes act aggressively to protect itself, which can be unsafe for you or your pets. However, these encounters can also be harmful for the animal. Because it’s harder for some wildlife to find food in the winter, they need to conserve their energy in order to survive. While a one-off encounter may not be fatal, repeatedly disturbing or chasing species such as moose and deer cause them to use up some of the essential fat reserves and energy they need to survive the winter.”
Another important way to avoid conflicts and to prevent harming wildlife is to make sure never to feed them. While it is not illegal to feed wildlife - except in cities that have ordinances against it - there are several reasons that it is highly discouraged, including:
• Public safety concerns (including drawing those animals to residential neighborhoods and roadways)
• The spread of chronic wasting disease among deer, elk and moose
• Potential harm to the wildlife from introducing foods not in their diets, particularly during winter months
“Whenever someone feeds wildlife, those animals will often return to that area in search of food,” Mangus said. “These areas are often near highways and towns. Concentrating deer and other wildlife near inhabited areas can sometimes result in increased traffic accidents and other human/wildlife conflicts. Attracting deer to your property through feeding can also attract predators, like cougars that follow deer herds. And while deer and moose are not predators, they are still wild animals and can be aggressive, particularly around dogs.”
Any time you are injured by wildlife, you should receive immediate medical attention, if needed, and report the incident to the DWR.
