Identifying How Human Behavior Influences Urban White-Tailed Deer Movement Patterns in a Canadian Metropolitan Area

Abstract

This article investigates wildlife value orientations associated with the human behavior of intentionally supplying food sources for urban deer. The article adopts a critical case study approach and uses one-on-one personal interviews. The results illustrate the influence of human behavior on urban deer movement, thus adding to our understanding of the nature of human–deer interactions in a city, and the increasing potential for human–wildlife conflict and human–human conflict within city space. The article also highlights the need, and the challenges involved in, an integrated approach to urban wildlife management, an approach that supports species co-existence within the complex dynamics of modern metropolitan spaces.

Keywords:

• human behavior
• personal interviews
• wildlife feeding
• urban white-tailed deer
• wildlife value orientations