Pandemic Reminds Us The Value of Wildlife
News Peg
With more than 2.5 million worldwide cases of COVID-19 and more than 800,000 of those coming from the U.S., more than half of the world is in lockdown and more than 75% of America is self-isolated.
With many Americans stuck at home for more than a month, there has been a silver lining in the middle of this pandemic.
It’s not too subtle to notice - if one just looks outside of his or her windows into nature - that the rest of nature and its wildlife are flourishing.
Outside Our Windows
Accounts and statistics around the world show that wildlife is benefiting from the open streets and parks.
From the mountain goats roaming the streets in Wales, to the gang of monkeys in Thailand, to the boars on the roads of Barcelona, to the coyotes, falcons, and deer populations roaming Los Angeles , cities around the world have experienced a vibrant wildlife population reclaiming the land.
Blandine Doligez, a researcher from the University of Lyon’s Laboratory of Biometrics and Evolutionary Biology, stated that “studies carried out in urban areas on bird populations have already highlighted the role of the level of disturbance, such as the intensity of human passage near nests, on different parameters of the reproduction.”
The reductions in light, chemical, and noise pollution from less greenhouse gas emissions allow animals to roam more freely in urban communities.
According to Joanne Lambert, a biologist from the University of Colorado-Boulder, species that live near human settlements have noticed that things have quieted down.
These species are “behaviorally flexible and adapting to those kinds of changes.”
What This Means
With these species suddenly feeling freer to roam and fly, there is something interesting to note - humans have been threats to these other living communities.
Whether it be at an environmental or a spatial level, as a human race, we have been hogging and slowly threatening not only the environment but the species surrounding us just by our mere existence.
Not only do our homes and buildings drive wildlife out of their natural habitats, but our consumption of electricity, natural gases, and release of greenhouse gases continue to kill these species.
At the core, with COVID-19’s root being our careless consumption of animals, it is important for humans to realize our coexistence with other species on Earth.
With Earth Day having passed just a few days ago, there isn’t a better time for us to value not only what the planet has given us, but also who we share it with.