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Public perception of urban wildlife during a COVID-19 stay-at-home quarantine order in Chicago

Authors :
Maureen H. Murray
Kaylee A. Byers
Jacqueline Buckley
Elizabeth W. Lehrer
Cria Kay
Mason Fidino
Seth B. Magle
Danielle German
Source :
Urban Ecosystems. 26:127-140
Publication Year :
2022
Publisher :
Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2022.

Abstract

Reduced human activity to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by reports of unusual wildlife sightings in highly developed areas. Such experiences with urban nature may have helped residents cope with the stress of the pandemic and increased public interest in urban wildlife; however, this may depend on the species residents encountered. In this study, we surveyed Chicago, Illinois, USA residents during a stay-at-home order to understand if residents in more affluent or greener neighborhoods saw more wildlife species. We also evaluated whether encounters with pest and non-pest species were associated with residents' values about wildlife. Of 593 responses included in our analyses, respondents in higher-income and greener neighborhoods were more likely to perceive increased wildlife sightings and respondents in higher-income areas reported observing a higher number common birds and mammals. Support for seeing wildlife in residential areas was associated with seeing passerine birds and not seeing rats during the stay-at-home order. Our results suggest that perceived increases in wildlife sightings were common during a stay-at-home order, especially for affluent residents, and that residents' perceptions depended on the species encountered. Understanding how changes in human behavior modifies human-wildlife interactions can help mitigate human-wildlife conflict and foster positive engagement with local wildlife.The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11252-022-01284-x.

Subjects

Subjects :
Urban Studies
Ecology

Details

ISSN :
15731642 and 10838155
Volume :
26
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Urban Ecosystems
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....d7ad9507ffd1fe39365c70546e9310e6
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-022-01284-x