Globally, opportunistic scavengers, such as kites, macaques, street dogs and livestock, often partake of the human niche, showcasing variable adherence to human norms and practices. The integration of nonhuman species into modern urban settlements thus marks a significant shift in human–animal proximities, akin to the transformative impacts of agriculture. Our research in Delhi focuses on the eco-evolutionary processes that underpin cross-species co-cultural ties, with animals exploiting food subsidies from garbage and ritual feeding practices. We study how inter- and intra-specific interactions along the urban gradient give rise to behavioural innovations in response to the predictable dispersion of such food subsidies. These interactions often involve significant adaptations or co-option of behavioural and morphological traits, influencing nonhuman social dynamics and population structures. Tropical cities, where urbanisation is a continuous process, offer quasi-experimental opportunities to examine shifts in population- and species-specific socialities in aerial, arboreal, and ground-dwelling commensals. Historically, these interactions have resulted in wildlife providing important services to humans. Unfortunately, however, such interactions can also easily turn negative, such as when actions aimed at promoting nonhuman lives lead to human–animal conflict, loss of property and invaluable lives of all contestants, and the spread of zoonotic diseases. Interestingly, human–nonhuman coexistence in South Asia represents a distinctive fusion of adopted Western infrastructure and a unique Indian ethos. This talk will emphasise why transdisciplinary methodologies are indispensable to comprehend coexistence, while designing and administering vibrant and ‘animated’ tropical cities.