Turkeys, coyotes and other city critters

We think of wildlife as separate from urban life. But there are a lot of wild critters living all around us in the city.

Turkeys have made a remarkable comeback in the last few decades after being driven entirely out of Minnesota. Deer, squirrels, rats and racoons are regular visitors to many people’s back yards. And, a relatively new research project is documenting how coyotes and foxes are vying for territory in city neighborhoods.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks about the secret lives of wild animals in our midst and how they interact with each other and with us.

Guests:

• Geoff Miller is a post-doctoral associate in the department of fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology at the University of Minnesota, where he works with the Twin Cities Coyote and Fox Project. His research focuses on how coyotes and foxes live in urban areas, and interact with each other and humans.

• Marlene Zuk is a professor in the department of ecology, evolution and behavior at the University of Minnesota. Her newest book is “Outsider Animals: How the Creatures at the Margins of Our Lives Have the Most to Teach Us.”

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Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.