Raccoons, bats, possums: It's Critter City

But opossums, known to move from food source to food source rather than making nests, are regular visitors, probably munching on his wife's vegetable garden, he said.

The wildlife population even includes "bat belts" in the Northeast, Fox Chase and nearby in Jenkintown and Bensalem, Coopersmith said.

"Bats are a major problem in the city," he said.

Many of the creatures bring fleas with them, Coopersmith added.

Other sightings, according to Czech, have included wild turkeys in Northeast Philadelphia, a coyote hit by a car near Father Judge High School and foxes spotted near Chestnut Hill College.

Czech said that a beaver took up residence in his neighborhood, only minutes outside the city.

He said that he was called to a car dealership in the 6900 block of Essington Avenue, in Southwest Philadelphia, that reported trouble with groundhogs.

Deer are all over Fairmount Park and "just about every small wood lot in the city," Czech said.

Sharpshooters were called in to cull deer at Philadelphia International Airport after two crashed into planes a few years ago.

"I get people, literally, who want the hawks not to come in and kill songbirds," Czech said.

When pest-control companies do trap the raccoons, opossums and other wildlife, Czech said, they euthanize the animals.