While we humans look up at the Pocket Fire from below and worry about the possible loss of our homes, the animals who live in the forest are already on the move, displaced from their own territories and searching for safety.
Black bears are among the most adaptable animals in the forest. Sightings have been rare in recent years in Northern Arizona, but as wildfire displacement forces wildlife to move and search for food, that could change. Mountain lions are also highly adaptable, and they are likely to slip into steeper, less disturbed terrain as the fire moves through their range.
Mule deer and elk are shifting into unburned pockets and valley bottoms where forage and cover remain, though calves and fawns are especially vulnerable during the scramble.
Coyotes and bobcats are quick to adapt, often moving along the edges of the burn in search of rabbits, rodents, and other prey driven into the open. Both species are highly mobile and may temporarily show up in areas they would normally avoid.
Smaller mammals — rabbits and rodents — scatter rapidly, with many burrowing species surviving by sheltering underground while others become easy prey or are forced into unfamiliar areas.
Songbirds and woodland birds flush ahead of the smoke; mobile species like jays and robins can relocate quickly, but canopy-dependent birds such as the Mexican spotted owl lose critical nesting habitat and may decline locally.
Raptors and scavengers, including hawks and vultures, often capitalize on exposed prey and carrion in the fire’s aftermath, but their nesting sites can be destroyed.
Reptiles and snakes seek cooler refuges under rocks and logs; some survive by sheltering, but intense surface heat can kill individuals and degrade their microhabitats.
Amphibians and native fish — such as leopard frogs in Oak Creek tributaries — are among the most at-risk. When upland fires consume riparian vegetation and cause sedimentation or drying of streams, these species may require active rescue or relocation.
Invertebrates and pollinators may initially decline where burning is severe, yet many insect communities rebound quickly and certain beetles and pollinators actually benefit from the post-fire surge in flowering plants.
Species at the edge — including the California condor in northern Arizona’s canyon country — may be forced to shift foraging and nesting sites, prompting monitoring and occasional human intervention to protect nests.
“The forest’s creatures don’t read evacuation orders, but they respond in instinctive ways: flee, hide, climb, burrow, or move to water. Some will find refuge and later benefit from the flush of new growth after rains; others, especially those tied to old-growth canopy or permanent springs, face a longer recovery and may need help from wildlife managers and the community. They have to make it on the run, with flames at their backs.”
