Easy access to food, safe havens, lack of predators, loss of natural habitat. Wild animals around the world for various reasons inhabit cities and gradually adapt to life outside the wild. In the Czech Republic, it is possible to see various species from the smallest to the largest mammals living in our country near human dwellings.
People can come across wild pigs even in housing estates.
| Photo: Shutterstock
Bears in Slovakia look for food among human dwellings, while there are also attacks on humans. Nutria in Zlín they attack pets. And it wasn’t that long ago, was it? wild pigs she chased passers-by in Prague. Urban wildlife is a more common reality around the world. The diary provides an overview of the most common types of large animals moving in cities in the Czech Republic and around the world.
Wild pigs
Overgrown herds of wild boars are looking for food, while tearing up the soil in gardens or in forest parks on the outskirts of Czech cities. However, they can also wander closer to the center. Some individuals look for scraps in dumpsters and trash cans.
What are wild pigs causing in the Czech Republic?
Wild pigs besiege cities: What they can do, how to get rid of them, what to watch out for
In Czech cities, such as Nun under Brdy, they have been living for a long time. This is also why wild pigs are used to the presence of people, and usually do not pose a danger if nothing threatens them. “They will not attack by themselves,” Jakub Drimaj from the Mendel University in Brno told Deník. He added that females can protect cubs from oncoming dogs.
Black game is widespread in cities throughout Europe and parts of Asia:
Source: Youtube
The BBC, referring to recent studies, wrote that the rampage of wild boars can also have positive effects, because by tearing up the land, they offset the influence of dominant plants and help to restore the flora.
Foxes
Urban wildlife in the Czech Republic
Bats, badgers, beavers, martens, wild ducks, swans, kestrels, owls, woodpeckers, woodpeckers, yellow grouse, pheasants, hares, roe deer, magpies have adapted to urban life in the Czech Republic due to easier foraging, safer shelters, but also the loss of natural habitats , squirrels, hedgehogs, jackdaws, storks and mouflons.
They have adapted very well to city life foxes. Groups growing up in cities have lost their shyness and can therefore be seen running around the streets or feeding on garbage. They can be beneficial by hunting rodents and insects. But people and pets should avoid them because of the risk of disease transmission.
According to a study by Austrian scientists, urban foxes live in family packs. This distinguishes them from solitary individuals in the wild. They probably do so because of the year-round supply of food, thanks to which they do not compete with each other in finding it.
Foxes in cities fight for territories:
Source: Youtube
According to the BBC, foxes have lived among humans for millennia. Some archaeological finds indicate that they were also pets.
Nutria
An invasive rodent species originating from South America is a problem for Czech cities. People brought it to Europe for breeding for fur and meat. But individuals that escaped established colonies. Without a natural predator, they reproduce in peace.
Nutria are a problem in Czech cities:
Source: Youtube
The overpopulation is also helped by the people who feed them. At the same time, nutria have lost their shyness, sometimes they even require food from humans. “But they can accidentally scratch you or bite you on purpose, which can lead to health complications,” Drimaj pointed out. In addition to the transmission of diseases, they intensively disrupt the stability of banks and vegetation.
Wolves
Wolf packs they commonly live near cities in Italy, France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany. According to Business Insider, they have been moving to human habitations since the turn of the century. The reason is the loss of the natural habitat, but also easy prey in the form of abundantly reproduced wild boars and rabbits.
In the Netherlands, wolves sometimes wander into cities:
Source: Youtube
According to experts, it is unlikely that they will behave similarly in the Czech Republic. “Unlike the Netherlands, they still have enough space in the wilderness here, and with it a huge number of roe deer, deer and wild boar,” Petr Stýblo from the Czech Association of Nature Conservators told Deník.
Bears
In Slovakia, brown bears wander into cities in search of food, and clashes with humans can also occur. Exceptionally, they also show themselves to urban people in the Czech Republic, in 2018, for example, a bear on the outskirts of Vsetín attracted attention. Elsewhere in the world, however, they practically live in cities, especially black bears in USA, who eat there in dustbins and containers. National Geographic also recalled cases of breaking into houses. Sometimes they make a nest under them for winter sleep.
A black bear has been breaking into houses in the US:
Source: Youtube
Hyenas
Large scavengers, who are not afraid to attack even a lone lion, people know mainly from safaris. But in African cities, hyenas provide important health and economic functions.
In Ethiopia, hyenas are fed not only from the hand:
Source: Youtube
The BBC reported that up to 207 tonnes of dead animal waste is removed from the streets in Ethiopia each year. This prevents the spread of infections between livestock and humans. Night visits outside the walls of the Ethiopian city of Harar are also aided by butchers who leave the remains and entrails of the animals. He even feeds them from his hand.
Elephants
Elephants feed on urban landfills in India and Sri Lanka. According to the BBC, scientists have found that although they look for remains of plant food here, they also accidentally consume plastic. For them, this can represent health complications ending in death. But the surprise for the experts was that individuals feeding on garbage are in better condition than elephants eating outside the cities.
Elephants in Sri Lanka and India also eat leftovers from garbage:
Source: Youtube
Leopards
Leopards in India are losing their natural habitat, so they are moving to cities, where they can also easily get prey in the form of pets. They mostly hunt pigs and cattle at night. They are rarely seen during the day, although they may be hiding somewhere nearby.
National Geographic reported that the beasts mostly avoid humans, but over the past 25 years, authorities have recorded nearly two hundred attacks on humans.
A leopard terrorized a village in India:
Source: Youtube
Coexistence of humans and animals in cities
What to do if you meet a wild animal?
First of all, you need to think about the fact that animals do not have a relationship with humans like a cat or a dog. “It is necessary to avoid direct contact and prefer to leave, unless the animal does it on its own,” advises Jakub Drimaj from the Mendel University in Brno.
Can a wild animal attack by itself?
Yes, if she feels threatened or has cubs. As a rule, however, it will run away, whether it is a wild boar, a marten or a fox.
What makes wild animals a risk to people and pets?
A significant risk is the possible transmission of diseases and parasites such as tapeworms, ticks and roundworms from wild animals to domesticated animals and humans. According to Drimaje, however, there is a particular risk of overpopulation, as there is almost no regulation or hunting in cities.
Can people feed urban wildlife?
They shouldn’t do that. And if, then correctly. In particular, they should avoid feeding large ungulates and carnivores. According to Petr Stýbl from the Czech Association of Nature Conservators, people do not help animals by feeding them. Even Drimaj points out that this way animals lose their shyness, can overbreed, and can also start to consider pets as competition that steals their food.
Why do animals move to cities?
Migration to cities has several reasons. Above all, animals find food in them more easily. They also have safe havens here. Thanks to the absence of predators and hunters, their number has been increasing here for a long time.
How can the settlement of wild animals in cities be prevented?
People should eliminate food sources, that is, place all waste in inaccessible containers and dustbins, do not leave freely accessible composts, gardens, beds and landfills, maintain high-quality fencing of unused factories. “Animals need food and shelter to live in cities. If we don’t offer them to them, they have no reason to stay here,” explains Drimaj.
Is moving animals to cities a trend nowadays?
In its current form, yes. “The relocation of large animals to cities is related to the expansion of cities into the surrounding area, the building of satellite municipalities and at the same time the abandonment of business premises in the centers,” Drimaj describes.
According to Stýbl, the fact that the agricultural landscape is devastated and dead for animals also has an effect. “That’s why animals look for resources in cities,” he adds.
What can be done against animal damage to property?
First of all, one should adequately secure the land. The mesh fence can be strengthened and reinforced so that animals cannot lift it. It is advisable to close the poultry at night in secure places away from animals. It is also possible to use odor repellents, sound and optical scarers, or install electric fences. Long-term problems with animals are best solved with hunters and the municipal office.
Tags: Bears Slovakia nutria pigs Czech Republic City streets attractive animals
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