Encounters between medium-sized carnivores and humans in the city of Turku, SW Finland, with special reference to the red fox
Kauhala, Kaarina | Talvitie, Kati | Vuorisalo, Timo
In recent decades, many carnivore species have colonized urban environments. Human-carnivore interactions have therefore become an important research topic for wildlife managers, conservationists, and urban planners. The aim of the present study was to examine the encounters between medium-sized carnivores and humans in the city of Turku, SW Finland, by collecting data from citizens via internet. The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) was the carnivore most often reported as encountered in Turku: foxes were seen about 15 times more often than either raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) or badgers (Meles meles). Also, litters of all three species were observed suggesting that these carnivores have adapted enough to have breeding populations in the city. We investigated the reported encounters between medium-sized carnivores and humans in different habitats and seasons along the so-called urban-to-rural gradient. All three species were most frequently encountered in gardens. Foxes and raccoon dogs were often encountered on roads, too, whereas badgers were more often encountered in forests. The majority of reported encounters between a medium-sized carnivore and humans occurred in gardens within 5000 m from the city center in the evening and morning in summer and autumn. Foxes were also frequently encountered in open woodland (city parks). Due to the possibility of frequent contacts between wild and domestic carnivores and humans, diseases and parasites might easily spread from one species to another (both wild and domestic) in the urban environment.
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