Andelt & Mahan (1980) provided one of the first descriptions of an

urban coyote interacting with people and find more dogs in Lincoln, Nebraska, US, in 1975 before its death at the hands of a hunter. Coyotes have apparently increased in abundance, spreading across New York State at an estimated rate of 78–90 km decade−1 over the past 60 years, culminating in the report of a coyote running through the streets of New York city in 2007 (Fener et al., 2005; Berchielli, 2007; Curtis et al., 2007). Other carnivore species show less utilization of anthropogenic food sources and may still depend on expanses of native vegetation and resources. Often these species are found within suburban areas where the lower density of human living allows the retention of more natural environments compared with city centres. Urban badgers Meles meles have been studied in several countries across Europe and Asia (reviewed in Roper, 2010). Badgers appear to have originally become urbanized through the enclosure of relicts of undeveloped habitat within

an urban matrix, although there is also some evidence for active colonization (Harris, Baker & Soulsbury, 2010b). Teagle (1969) states that badgers in London, UK, Rucaparib ‘could still be found in Richmond Park and Wimbledon Common and in nearby parks, golf courses and other private property’ (emphasis added). Once established, animals will also spread within the urban matrix (Harris, 1984). Huck, Davison & Roper (2008a) and Delahay et al. (2009) note that complaints by people of damage to property by urban badgers is currently increasing in the UK, possibly implying an active increase in the badger population. Striped skunks Mephitis mephitis and eastern

spotted skunks Spilogale putorius are less well-studied as urban animals, but due to their defence behaviour of spraying, encounters with them can be dramatic and traumatic for humans and their pets (skunks represented 51% of total urban problem wildlife trapped in California up to 1990; Maestrelli, 1990). Reports of skunks in urban areas can therefore Methocarbamol be out of proportion to their urban densities (Prange & Gehrt, 2004). Apart from the red fox and coyote, other canid species have been less successful in urban areas. Gray foxes Urocyon cinereoargenteus (Harrison, 1997; Iossa et al., 2010) and kit foxes Vulpes macrotis (Cypher, 2010) can be found in suburbs of some North American towns, but little is known about the biology of these urban populations at present. Slender mongooses Galerella sanguinea have been observed in urban and suburban Pretoria and Johannesburg, South Africa, and small-spotted genets Genetta genetta have been observed in urban Johannesburg (PWB pers. obs.; R. Morley pers. comm.), around a town in Ethiopia (Admasu et al., 2004) and urban areas in southern France (Gaubert et al., 2008).