Toronto 311 Wildlife Hotspot Analysis (2010–2025): Intersection‑Level Trends From 737,116 Service Requests

Last updated: March 2026

Start here → This post analyzes 737,116 wildlife‑related 311 requests across 13,156 Toronto intersections, highlighting persistent hotspots, species patterns, and long‑term trends from 2010–2025.

Jump to:

• Infrastructure characteristics added
• Dataset schema
• Key findings
• Intersection spotlight
• Summary data table
• Intersection patterns

As a companion to the Toronto 311 Service Request Trends (2010–2025): Time‑Series Segmentation by FSA & City Division analysis, the 311 Toronto Data Analysis Methodology: Six‑Step Workflow Using the 1.5×IQR Outlier Rule (2010–2025) was applied to a distinct dataset capturing 737,116 Customer‑Initiated 311 Toronto Service Requests made at street intersections across the city between 2010 and 2025.

Across this period, approximately 13,156 Toronto street intersections generated at least one 311 request. Of these, 3,630 intersections were the source of Toronto Animal Services–related complaints, highlighting the geographic distribution of coyote, rodent, and other urban wildlife issues across the city.

Infrastructure Characteristics Added Through Open Data Integration

To strengthen the analysis, multiple datasets from the City of Toronto Open Data Portal were appended to identify whether each intersection included:

• A traffic light or traffic beacon
• A pedestrian crossover
• A highway on/off ramp
• Proximity to a TTC subway or LRT station

This enriched dataset enabled a deeper examination of how intersection characteristics relate to wildlife‑related 311 activity.

Click to expand data schema (fields & definitions)

Field Name	Description	Source
Intersection_ID	Unique identifier assigned to each Toronto street intersection	Derived
Street_1 / Street_2	Normalized primary and cross street names	311 Toronto
Latitude / Longitude	Intersection centroid coordinates	311 Toronto
Request_Year / Request_Month	Timestamp fields extracted from service request date	311 Toronto
Request_Type	Service request category (wildlife vs. non‑wildlife)	311 Toronto
Wildlife_Category	Coyote, rodent, or other wildlife‑related sub‑type	311 Toronto
Traffic_Light_Flag	Indicates presence of a traffic signal at the intersection	Open Data: Traffic Signals
Traffic_Beacon_Flag	Indicates presence of a traffic beacon	Open Data: Traffic Beacons
PXO_Flag	Indicates presence of a pedestrian crossover	Open Data: PXOs
Highway_Ramp_Flag	Indicates adjacency to a highway on/off ramp	Open Data: Ramps
Near_TTC_Station_Flag	Indicates proximity to a TTC subway or LRT station	Open Data: TTC Stations
Segmentation_Period	Time‑series segment imported from FSA‑level analysis	Derived

Key Findings From the Street Intersection Deep Dive

When the intersection‑level data was compared against the time‑series segmentation variable used in the FSA‑level trends analysis, several important patterns emerged:

• 87 intersections with Toronto Animal Services complaints had no traffic light.
• 4 intersections had no traffic beacon.
• Only 2 intersections had a flashing pedestrian crossover.
• 35 intersections were located next to a TTC subway or LRT station.
• Approximately 85 intersections were adjacent to a highway on/off ramp.

Overall, about 3,420 of the 3,630 intersections associated with wildlife‑related 311 requests had none of these five characteristics. This strongly indicates that Toronto’s coyote, rodent, and broader urban wildlife issues are concentrated in residential neighbourhoods rather than high‑traffic or transit‑dense areas.

Intersection spotlight: Finch Ave W & Humber River E Branch Patterns

Between 2010 and 2025, the Finch Ave W & Humber River E Branch intersection in North York generated 103 customer‑initiated 311 service requests assigned to Toronto Animal Services.

In all but one year, this location recorded a consistently high volume of calls about dead or injured wildlife, coyotes, and other animal issues, making it one of the most persistent wildlife hotspots in the city‑wide dataset.

Using Toronto Open Data Portal information on traffic controls and transit, this intersection was found to have no traffic signal, no traffic beacon, no pedestrian crossover, and is not located near a TTC subway or LRT station or a highway on/off ramp. Its sustained call volume, despite the absence of major traffic infrastructure, highlights how local geography and wildlife movement corridors can drive 311 activity independently of typical high‑traffic road features.

Click to expand intersection‑level pivot table

Row Labels	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Grand Total
Business Licensing Enforcement	129	397	79	31	23													659
Business Operations Management		2																2
Businesss Licensing Enforcement		118	12	6														136
Bylaw Enforcement	477	1,366	278	110	30													2,261
Climate & Forestry	1,870	123																1,993
Collections	498	3,929	1,760	958	582	437	336	263	174	148	97	80	79	54	30	26	6	9,457
Collections and Litter Operations	106	8																114
District Enforcement		3,264	1,086	535	361	227	157	106	58	47	23	8	5					5,877
District Ops	459	4,171	1,645	768	458	252	166	119	92	67	44	30	17	9	4	1		8,302
Forestry & Recreation		2,713	431	71														3,215
Forestry and Natural Environment Management		214	20	9			1											244
Forestry Operations		3,031	870	330	139	68	30	19	11	9	2	1	2					4,512
Investigation Services	641	1,743	382	122	22													2,910
Litter Operations	144	659	186	74	30	17	7	3										1,120
Operations	15	638	27	2												1		683
Parks	214	9																223
Parks Enforcement	239	1,001	285	127	33	19	10	1		1								1,716
Permits & Enforcement	156	34																190
Right of Way (ROW)	527	3,263	951	381	192	100	46	28	21	7	3	1	1					5,521
Road Operations	541	3,235	2,691	2,226	1,758	1,380	1,122	835	746	606	524	440	367	373	287	362	536	18,029
TMC	336	4,821	2,642	1,364	776	476	339	253	261	243	279	283	264	236	204	194	137	13,108
Toronto Animal Services	490	4,593	2,470	1,576	1,004	679	467	341	263	243	157	136	134	108	52	1		12,714
Traffic Management	732	89																821
Traffic Ops	443	4,141	1,853	955	637	427	303	232	150	118	97	73	77	51	26	16	7	9,606
Traffic Safety	71	292	155	66	27	9	2	1										623
Transfer	2	3																5
Transfer, Disposal & Operations		7	1															8
Tree Protection and Plan Review		381	19	1														401
Waste Enforcement	233	2,358	636	214	82	32	16	13	5	1	2							3,592

The column labels in the above table represent time‑series trend segments identified using the 1.5×IQR Statistical Outlier Rule based on the methodology explained in the 311 Toronto Data Analysis Methodology post. Over the past 15 years (2010–2025, inclusive) of recorded 311 Toronto Customer‑Initiated Service Requests, 52 intersections generated a statistically unusually high volume of Toronto Animal Services calls in all but one year. Using Toronto Open Data, each of these 52 intersections was identified as having no traffic signal or beacon, no pedestrian crossover, no highway on/off ramp, and no proximity to a TTC subway or LRT station. These findings indicate that the most persistent wildlife‑related hotspots occur in residential areas rather than transit‑dense or high‑traffic corridors.

What the Data Reveals About Toronto’s Urban Wildlife Patterns

The intersection‑level findings reinforce the FSA‑level trends: wildlife‑related 311 requests are most common in residential areas located near green spaces, ravines, and natural habitat corridors such as the Humber River and Lakeshore regions. These areas provide natural pathways for coyotes and other wildlife to move into neighbourhoods in search of food sources.

An earlier post, West Toronto Wildlife Hotspots: 2025 311 Data Shows Urgent Need for Fencing Program, highlights one potential solution: strategic fencing to prevent coyotes from following prey animals—skunks, raccoons, squirrels, and rodents—into residential zones. These smaller species are themselves attracted by household waste, unsecured garbage bins, and backyard food sources.

Implications for Toronto’s Wildlife Management Strategy

A coordinated approach appears necessary. A combination of targeted fencing, reduced household waste generation, and improved wildlife‑safe feeding practices can help reduce attractants for rodents and other prey species. As birds are also part of Toronto’s urban wildlife landscape, 311 Toronto initiatives encouraging residents to use suet instead of loose bird seed may further limit unintended food sources for rodents.

Together, these findings provide a clearer picture of how Toronto’s built environment, residential patterns, and natural corridors shape the city’s wildlife‑related 311 activity—and where targeted interventions may have the greatest impact.

All posts on this blog

• Toronto 311 Service Request Trends (2010–2025): Time‑Series Segmentation by FSA & City Division
• A Data‑Driven Analysis of Toronto Animal Services
• What 311 Toronto Data Reveals About the City Budget (2010–2025)
• Wildlife in M6N and M4J: 2025 Data Shows Animals Stay Active All Year
• Seasonal Wildlife Surges in Toronto
• West Toronto Wildlife Hotspots: 2025
• The '311' on Toronto's 2026 City Budget
• Executive Summary: Toronto Metal Fencing Plan
• How Toronto Can Save $800K Annually with Wildlife‑Control Fencing