Nell GreenfieldboyceJun 8, 2023

When people suddenly stayed home during COVID lockdowns, wild animals started traveling more.

A new study of over 2000 mammals from dozens of species (elephants, pumas, reindeer, etc) found that animals traveled substantially longer distances and ventured closer to roads when traffic sharply declined.

The finding, in Science, adds to previous research suggesting that temporary road closures could help wildlife management.
#wildlife #traffic #conservation

https://www.npr.org/2023/06/08/1181043524/humans-traveled-less-during-covid-restrictions-animals-traveled-more

Show threadaarondleong
@nellgreenfieldboyce There's a fun project collecting data for studies like this. This is the Seattle-area study, but similar efforts are being run throughout the country. https://www.zoo.org/seattlecarnivores
Seattle Urban Carnivore Project - Woodland Park Zoo Seattle WA

Studying how carnivores live and interact with people across urban and suburban areas in the Seattle region.

Jun 8, 2023 at 7:17pmWeb