ABSTRACT

Many urban wildlife management issues are interrelated with economic and sociological considerations. Threatened and endangered species present unique urban wildlife management challenges. There are two recurring criteria for becoming a threatened/endangered (T/E) species. The first criterion is to have a small geographic range with a narrow habitat characteristic for survival. The second criterion is to have a shrinking geographic range and habitat due to human development. The chapter examines five endangered species found in urban and suburban habitats. The species are San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica), Houston toad (Bufo houstonensis), key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium), peregrine falcon (Falcon peregrine), and American black bear (Ursus americanus). The American black bear is presented as an enigma that confounds the application of T/E status even though it has been extirpated or nearly so in many states that were in its historical range.