People and Wildlife

There are many laws and rules about how people can interact with wildlife. Many are protected species; for example, you cannot kill birds on your property. Coloradans are also prohibited from taking in wildlife as pets (the exception is if you are involved in a rescue organization). “In general, it is illegal to own wildlife in Colorado. You just cannot remove a wild animal from the woods and take it home. As a public resource, wildlife belongs to the state of Colorado, to all citizens,” writes Colorado Parks and Wildlife in their publication Exotic Pets and Prohibited Wildlife. This is a helpful resource that discusses the reasons why wildlife cannot be taken in as pets and also lists what kinds of animals are legal as pets in Colorado.

Another issue regarding people and wildlife is the issue of development and habitat. Our library collection contains a number of publications from Colorado Parks and Wildlife regarding humans and wildlife. See the following for information:

• Don’t Tempt with Twinkies: Wildlife and Humans at Risk
• Fencing with Wildlife in Mind
• Planning Trails with Wildlife in Mind 
• Sharing the Same Nest
• Status Report on Efforts to Address Impacts of Oil and Gas Operations on Wildlife Habitat 
• Techniques for Determining Potentially Critical Deer Highway Crossings

Finally, CPW’s webpage Living with Wildlife offers a wealth of resources including information on specific species; avoiding vehicle collisions with wildlife; helping animals during winter; the hazards of junk food to wildlife; and how development affects wildlife habitat.