As cities throughout Colorado grow, new or expanding subdivisions can impact wildlife habitat. Wild animals are often displaced by development. Some species are able to live in nearby open spaces, parks, undeveloped parcels of land, river bottoms and on or near bodies of water. Others have adapted well to urban living; skunks and raccoons, for example, seem to thrive in and near cities.

As Colorado’s population expands and the desire for outdoor recreation increases, the proximity of humans to natural habitats can disrupt wildlife. 

In most situations, though, people and wildlife can easily coexist. The key is to respect the wildness of wildlife. Wildlife is just that — wild. Most dangerous encounters ​occur because people fail to leave the animals alone. Wildlife should not be harassed, captured, kept or fed. Intentional or inadvertent feeding is the major cause of most wildlife conflict; it’s illegal to feed deer, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, pronghorn and elk in Colorado.