While cities are normally densely populated and bustling areas, many people may not realize the wildlife roaming around at night when everyone goes to bed.
According to the Associated Press, a wildlife biologist with Yale University has set up trail cameras to catch wildlife at night. The cameras were set up in wooded areas of parks in Detroit for the last five years.
These cameras have caught coyotes, raccoons, skunks, and foxes at night. As cities increase in population, the chances of humans running into wildlife becomes greater.
Right now there are almost one million animals at risk of becoming extinct. This has caused a movement known as “rewilding” to start happening. Rewilding is when an area that once held wildlife is made habitable again after the animals were driven out from development and other things.
This allows for a natural system to be created again in an area like a city for wildlife, with the help of people. People working on rewilding can remove dams as well as build tunnels that would help animals move around where roads have made it impossible. It could also mean reintroducing natural predators to bring balance back to the environment and ecosystem. Once these things are complete, humans no longer are involved.
Rewilding happens with more ease in remote areas, but it can happen in cities too. It’s important as well, with the U.N. believing over two thirds of the global population will reside in urban areas by 2050.