KCBS Animal Update: Living With Animals Adapting To Urban Environments

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— Dr. Jennifer Scarlett from the San Francisco SPCA joins us this week to talk about the urban animals that share the city with us. We see them more out and about as we've encroached on their areas.

"We commonly see things like rats and raccoons, but we're also seeing coyotes," Scarlett said. "Many different types of birds actually learn to thrive in urban areas."

Scarlett said the behavior of wild animals can seem pushy, but that's part of their adjustment to adapt.

"It's been shown that their ability to adapt to stress is much greater after living in an urban environment. Animals like squirrels have adapted to all this ambient noise by communicating more with tail flicks than their country cousins," she said.

Animals go through both physical and behavioral changes in order to adapt to their urban environment, but it's all about survival. "To thrive they've had to find a way in our urban areas and they're doing just a spectacular job," Scarlett said.

It's more than just squirrels learning from watching other squirrels how to steal your sandwich at the park. It's about adapting to each other and learning how to live with them.

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