+ Modders
Q: Can I use the files from this mod for other mods to upload?
A: Yep, you are free to use the assets provided by this mod! The only rule I have about this is to not have them hidden behind a paywall. So, I'd prefer that these are to remain free. Donations points are fine though!

+ Mod Users
Q: How to install this mod?
A:
1. Install the latest version of SMAPI.
2. Unzip the zip file.
3. Drop the extracted folder in your mods folder.

Q: I experienced a bug! What should I do?
A: First of all, please do read the rest of the FAQ here in case there is an answer already provided and to also check the main page/Comments section of the mod in case I have listed the bug as a "known issue". If neither of them has the solution, feel free to comment the bug in the Comments sections or over in the Bugs section.

Q: Is this mod compatible with other mods?
A: This mod should work with other mods, albeit it would only be semi-compatible with mods that alter the in-game maps in any way, but nothing game breaking would occur. The main version of Wild Animals is made to be compatible with Stardew Valley Expanded's map changes as of its 1.14.36 release and Lnh's Ginger Island Overhaul mod.

Please download Wild Animals Lite mod if you do not plan to play with any mods that make major edits of the vanilla maps.

Q: Is this mod compatible with multiplayer or the mobile version of the game?
A: In regard to multiplayer, there may or may not be some syncing issues with what can and won't spawn (most notable for farmhands, as since the mod works for the host just fine) and could cause the 'Unable to spawn in greenhouse' error in the SMAPI window. I have no idea what causes this to occur, but I can at least guarantee this doesn't affect the game whatsoever. (However, I must note that my game has a bit of a syncing issue when I play multiplayer in general, so I'm not sure if this is also specific to this mod)

I am unsure if this mod is compatible with the mobile version since I personally do not have it.

Q: Where is the Wild Creatures mod?
A: The Wild Creatures mod is a mod that I no longer maintain, mainly because I wasn't fond of how it functioned at the time. However, I did end up splitting it up and putting some of the creatures from that mod into my other mods Domestic Animals and Wild Animals (they're tagged as "Bonus Animals" in the config file).

+ Gameplay
Q: What do the animals do?
A: These animals don't really do much of anything and are more of just moving décor for your valley that occasionally makes noises, may follow you around or run away from you. I do hope I'll be able to add some sort of gameplay mechanic or more interactivity with these animals someday, but that idea may take a while (if it even ever gets implemented due to my inexperience with modding). ^_^''

Q: There are too many animals! Can I lessen the number of animals per map?
A: All animals are randomized by default, but there is a setting called "Animal Abundance Level". This determines how many animals can appear and whether there should be certain conditions to be met. High: Any animal can show up without requirements and will almost always appear (similar to the old spawn rates from old mod versions), Low: Animals don't need/require any conditions to appear but still have a chance of not showing up on random days, Vanilla: Some animals have certain conditions that need to be met before they start appearing.

Q: There are barely any animals during winter/year one. Is something wrong?
A: A lot of the animals are not available during the winter to simulate what real-life animals do when it's extremely cold out. There are a few animals that persist and show up during the winter though. If you're using the "Vanilla" setting of the "Animal Abundance Level", certain animals will start to appear in your game gradually. If you're already far enough in your current playthrough (i.e. past year one, finished the community center, got certain wallet items), most of the animals should have a chance of spawning in your game at any time.

Q: What are the 'certain conditions' required for some of the animals to start showing up in my game?
A: I kept it simple and choose five in-game features that affect whether an animal can and cannot show up in your game or what an animal's behavior could exhibit: community center/joja mart completion, season, time, wallet items, and weather. This mainly matters if you're using the "Vanilla" setting of the "Animal Abundance Level", while "High" and "Low" are mostly left unaffected by these factors and decided by random chance.

Q: Why aren't the RSV/Ridgeside Village wild animals that originally came with this mod showing up anymore?
A: Unfortunately, I have decided to discontinue my crossover for other mods. This is due to the fact that I don't really play with expansion mods anymore, so I won't be able to keep track of any changes/updates from them. Stardew Valley Expanded is sooooort of an exception since I do dabble with it from time to time, but I mainly maintain support for that one because it makes a lot of changes to the in-game maps, which may cause my creatures to get stuck inside of these changes.

Mod makers, however, can still use my animals if they want to add them over to their own mods though!

+ Known Issues
● Animals may sometimes spawn in places they shouldn't be in (such as in a tree, bush, or even on a building). This shouldn't happen all the time and is only a visual issue. They're likely to spawn unstuck in another in-game day.
● Animals that are swimming may look like they're swimming above water when they're too close to land. This is only a visual issue and will not happen too often anyway.
● Animals that spawn in groups are likely to spawn right on top of each other. They are not stuck and will part from each other eventually.
● Some objects do not have collision, so animals may go through these areas (i.e. the lonely stone in the beach map). The animals may also walk through objects that are interactable (via inspection dialogue or quest).
● When using the Dynamic Reflections mod, the reflections of the swimming animals are likely going to look off. As of now, the only solution I can think of is editing the reflections in the dynamic reflections config file (Dynamic Reflections Config -> Water Specific Settings  -> NPC Reflection Offsets  -> Y Offset (Change the default "1.1" to "0.3")). The drawback is that this will also affect the water reflections from every other NPC as well.