(FOX40.COM) — Many people throughout the United States are probably aware that California is home to the most people in the United States, but what may be less known is that the state is also home to more native animal and plant species than any other state in the country.

With that many people living next to such a large number of animals, human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is bound to happen, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has prepared a toolkit to ensure that the state’s residents and potential visitors are ready if they find themselves engaged in conflict with aquatic wildlife, backyard wildlife, and many more.
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According to the CDFW, human-wildlife conflict occurs when humans and wild animals interact in an unwanted or unsafe way. The agency adds that population growth and climate change can increase the frequency and severity of HWCs.

“As the State’s trustee agency for fish and wildlife resources, CDFW serves as the lead agency charged with helping to resolve human-wildlife conflict,” the department said on its website.

Here are some animals capable of causing an HWC and why the conflict may be occurring in the first place.

• Aquatic Wildlife (marine mammals: cetaceans, pinnipeds, sea otters, sirenians)
• Backyard Wildlife (skunks and opossums)
• Bats
• Beavers (includes semi-aquatic mammals like river otters, and nutria)
• Birds (birds of prey, condors, vultures, wild turkeys, woodpeckers)
• Black Bears
• Bobcats
• Coyotes
• Foxes (kit fox, red fox, gray fox)
• Gray Wolves
• Insects (ants, bees, wasps, mosquitos, spiders, scorpions, ticks)
• Mountain lions
• Rabbits and hares
• Raccoons
• Rodents (gophers, mice, voles, woodrats)
• Snakes (seven venomous species of rattlesnake live throughout California)
• Squirrels
• Ungulates (elk, deer, sheep)

HWCs with a majority of the animals listed occur due to agricultural or property damage, the animals searching for food or shelter, interacting with livestock, or risks for human health, the CDFW says. The agency also states that most of these animals should not be fed by humans primarily because it can lead to the species losing its fear of humans (habituation) or food conditioning, which can leave the animal vulnerable to predators.

Some animals, such as bats, rabbits, and raccoons are at higher risk of causing an HWC by transmitting diseases like rabies, rabbit hemorrhagic disease, or raccoon roundworm.

Prevention of conflict with many of these animals can be done by leaving them alone and not feeding them, the CDFW says. “Some people do not realize the harm in feeding wild animals or preventing access to attractants,” the department said.

California has also made hunting some of the listed animals illegal, which can naturally lead to a decrease in HWCs. For instance, as of 2020, hunting or trapping bobcats in California and “taking” any marine mammal, “including to harass, disturb, feed, capture, injure, or hunt,” is deemed illegal.

However, nutria, considered an invasive species, is an animal that CDFW prefers to be caught. ” If this species is captured, do not release it, immediately contact your local CDFW office or County Agricultural Commissioner,” the agency said.