The City of Arlington has a wide range of urban wildlife living in our community. There are many beautiful green belts, lakes, and the Trinity River that runs through our 99.5 square mile city. Arlington does not own or have control of any of the wild animals found within its boundaries, nor is the City responsible for the actions or damage caused by them. In fact, wild animals have no owners to be responsible for their actions, and therefore cannot be regulated in any way. There are no laws requiring Arlington Animal Services (AAS) to respond to wildlife issues or remove wildlife perceived by some to be a problem. AAS responds to situations where public safety is being jeopardized, however; the presence of a wild animal does not constitute a public safety threat. These animals are a common and important part of our ecosystem that benefits the human population in numerous ways.
For years, large numbers of wild animals have been trapped, euthanized, or relocated by animal shelters all over the United States. AAS was no different in this regard. Despite years of trapping and relocating or euthanizing, human interactions with urban wildlife still take place today. In many areas, they have increased dramatically. The source of the problem is not the presence of wildlife, but the environment that humans have created for them. People, either intentionally or unintentionally, have conditioned wildlife to understand neighborhoods are full of food, water, and shelter.