The recent capture of an armadillo in a local shopping center heralds the invasion of a species new to my area. The reasons wildlife seem to be on the increase in suburban America are a combination of perception and reality. Today many people view wildlife as an acceptable and valuable component of our environment, attitudes less prevalent in earlier generations. Seeing a wild mammal bigger than a squirrel is noteworthy, and people today mention the observation to others. But the presence of large mammals in America's suburbs is more than perception.
More mammals actually live there.
At least four factors are responsible for the increase in animal numbers in many towns across the nation. First, population sizes of some game species have increased notably in recent decades. To the credit of federal and state wildlife agencies, more white-tail deer probably exist in the eastern states today than a century ago, in part due to land management programs that optimized habitat for deer. Likewise, efforts by the National Wild Turkey Federation have substantially increased population levels and distribution of wild turkeys. Now deer and turkeys are frequently spotted by suburban residents who live near forested areas.