Huge, unique study shows that wild animals don't always prefer to stay away from humans (it's more subtle)

One animal enjoys being around people, while the other quickly runs away. New research shows that wild animals respond differently to humans depending on where they live and what they eat.

She's one of them Largest studies For wild animal activity at all. More than 220 researchers are involved in the project and 163 species of mammals have been studied with the help of 5,000 wildlife cameras. Large herbivores, such as herbivores like deer and elk, become more active when people are around them, while carnivores like wolves become less active. They prefer to avoid encounters with humans.

There is a third group of wild animals, such as raccoons, that become more active around humans when they become accustomed to their presence. Especially when they discover that they can find food, such as garbage or plants, which they can access especially at night. But animals that live far from cities and other populated areas are more cautious and prefer not to meet humans.

During lockdowns
The researchers used data from before and during the coronavirus lockdowns to look at the impact of human activity one way or another on animals. “Corona restrictions have provided researchers with a unique opportunity to see how animals react when the number of people who have to share their environment changes so radically over a short period of time,” explains lead researcher Cole Burton.

“Contrary to popular belief, we did not see a general pattern of 'wild animals feeling free' while people sheltered indoors. Rather, we saw wide variation in human and animal activity. Most surprising, the animals' response depended on the type of landscape and their position in the food chain.”

Wolves and pumas
In Canada, researchers found that carnivores such as wolves and pumas in particular have become less active as human activity increases. The larger herbivores were actually more active, but they also became more active at night when there were more people around.

The bottom line is that, in any case, the presence of humans has a significant impact on the behavior of animals. Therefore, researchers believe that measures should be taken to ensure that wild animals are less annoying than humans. “In remote areas with few facilities, the impacts of our presence are even greater,” says biologist Caitlin Gaynor. “To give wildlife the space they need, we should consider creating more protected areas or corridors where human activity is prohibited or even seasonal restrictions, such as closures.” Temporary camp sites or trails during the breeding season.

Natural conversation
But again, it is not the case that less human activity is better in all cases. This may work in rural areas, but in areas where people and animals live more together, such as in cities, this does not necessarily have to be the case. Night is important for these animals, so we must ensure that they can live without disturbance and prevent conflicts from arising. For example, they shouldn't have access to garbage, so they don't eat human food, and you can warn people more about animals on the road, so they get hit less often.

The findings are especially important now that travel has increased after the pandemic and outdoor activities, such as hiking in the mountains, have become more popular. “Better understanding how wildlife responds to human activity in different situations helps us develop conservation plans that can have an impact locally and internationally. For this reason, we are working to improve monitoring systems, such as cameras in forests, which allow “We can monitor animal behavior better.”

In the Netherlands
This is not just a topic in the rugged forests of Canada or the Australian outback, in our country we are also increasingly dealing with wild animals and especially in a densely populated area like the Netherlands, it is important to know how animals interact with people. . There are now dozens of wolves living in our country that are increasingly communicating with people because they have become accustomed to their presence. At least 8,000 deer, roe deer and wild boars are also killed every year, in fact there are likely many more, because they are not always recorded. Furthermore, many badgers and otters also die on regional roads. Increasingly, something is being done about this by building wildlife crossings or creating tunnels under the road.