What are city animals?

The animals we’ll be looking at in this book are wild animals that make their homes in cities. A wild animal is any animal living in its natural state – not one that’s looked after or controlled by humans. Pets or farm animals are not wild animals.

Global and local Old and new

Some wild animals have lived with humans for many thousands of years and have come to depend on us, like house mice and house sparrows. Others have arrived in cities more recently, like baboons and penguins in Cape Town, South Africa; mountain lions in Los Angeles, USA; or wild boars in Rome, Italy.

Some wild animals are found in cities all around the world. They include cockroaches, rats, house sparrows and pigeons. Others, like the leopards of Mumbai, are only found in one or a few cities.

Did you know?

Wild animals are attracted to cities because there’s plenty of food, much of which has been thrown out by humans. Cities also have plenty of places to shelter and hide from predators.

Some animals were introduced to cities by humans and have thrived there. In 1974, around 50 green parakeets were released in the city of Brussels, Belgium. Today, around 8,000 of these birds have made their homes in the city’s parks.