[Animals] The scavengers stalking the world's cities

[Wolf.17]

 

From ibis to hyenas, a surprising variety of scavengers have been drawn to urban life. Here's how they're thriving in cities across the globe.

On the road to Cape Point Nature Reserve, on the outskirts of the South African city of Cape Town, each day people must run the gauntlet of a gang with a habit of "car-jacking". 

The culprits are notorious – perhaps known as much for the occasional vehicle break-in, as they are for their potently smelly breath. They are, in fact, baboons. And they have taken to life among people with surprising zeal. Further into the city, marauding troops of the primates have learned to raid bins and even invade homes, in the search for an easy meal. The scavengers have become so prolific, there is now a 24-hour baboon hotline, where residents can report offences, as well as welfare concerns. 

Of course, baboons are not the only wildlife that has been drawn to humanity's urban sprawl. Across the planet, the original inhabitants of areas now occupied by cities have been standing their ground and learning to thrive, alongside millions of people. Here are some of the extraordinary transformations that have been unfolding.  

Each night, as dusk settles over cities throughout Europe, red foxes emerge from their hiding places and begin stalking the streets. Sometimes they saunter confidently along, mingling seamlessly with human pedestrians. Occasionally it's just possible to glimpse the whip of a fluffy tail, as one dives into a bin. These adaptable omnivores will forage for wild foods such as berries and insects, supplementing this with freshly-caught pigeons and scraps found in rubbish. 

There are at least ten different kinds of "true" fox scattered throughout the planet, from the strange bat-eared fennec fox, to the charismatic Tibetan sand fox. And they have been living among people for millennia – in 1991, researchers unearthed the ancient bones of an individual in Argentina, which recent research has revealed may have been a pet. Today, foxes are thriving in urban areas, with 18 per square kilometre (45 per square mile) in London alone. They're also found in cities in the US, particularly in the northern and eastern parts of the country.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240423-the-scavengers-stalking-the-worlds-cities