San Antonio's rapid urban expansion is making encounters with wild fauna more frequent in the city, according to one wildlife expert.
What's happening?
Animals like deer, bobcats, and raccoons are being seen more within San Antonio city limits, according to Fox San Antonio. While these animals are often in a frantic search of water amid drought conditions, Lynn Cuny, president of Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation, said that loss of habitat and human encroachment are a big part of the problem.
Hoodline explained that as San Antonio has continued to expand, it has pushed animals into closer proximity to humans and turned their habitat into concrete jungles.
Why is urban sprawl concerning?
In addition to making life more difficult for native animals, urban sprawl — or the aggressive expansion of urban areas — can lead to air and water pollution and deforestation. Meanwhile, vast expanses of asphalt, like this huge parking lot at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium, contribute to the heat island effect and stormwater runoff problems.
The loss of green space is also bad for our health — spending time in nature can help improve our thinking and reasoning abilities, as well as physical wellness and mental health, according to UC Davis.
What's being done about the loss of nature?
Across the world, rewilding efforts are underway to return land to its natural state or reduce human impacts. For instance, the Marine Discovery Center in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, is tearing down a parking lot to convert the spot into a wetland habitat with a living shoreline and native plants.
Another $500 billion rewilding effort in Saudi Arabia is regreening the desert and has led to a baby boom of reintroduced animals in the first breeding season.
Plus, Medellin, Colombia, planted thousands of diverse trees and plants along roads and waterways to battle the heat-island effect associated with its recent urban expansion. The city's temperature dropped 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) within the first three years of the program.
Meanwhile, scientists agree that more wildlife is moving into city limits. Cuny warns to "always leave them alone," per the San Antonio Express-News, adding that these animals are already under stress from habitat loss and are not seeking human interactions.
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