Spatial Analysis of Socioeconomic Factors at Found Locations of Orphaned Mammals in Champaign County

Abstract

Young mammals make up a significant portion of animals brought into wildlife rehabilitation centers. Unfortunately, some of these “orphaned” individuals are inappropriately removed from their native habitat. As such, there is a need for educational community outreach centered on the proper identification of orphaned wildlife that benefit from human intervention, while maximizing limited resources of rehabilitation facilities. This study evaluated found locations of common mammalian orphans presenting from Champaign County to the University of Illinois Wildlife Medical Clinic (WMC) between 2015-2020. The found locations of the orphans (99 Virginia opossums, 80 common raccoons, 441 eastern gray squirrels, 602 eastern cottontails) were mapped using Geographic Information System (GIS) and overlaid with maps of human population density, income, and education level for analysis. The four species were most commonly found in areas with high population density (p < 0.001) and middle family income (p < 0.001). Opossums, squirrels, and cottontails were found more frequently in areas of high education levels (p < 0.001), while there was no significant difference in education level for found raccoons.