Urban Beasts and Where to Find Them

The undisputed poster boy of urban beasts is P-22, a male cougar photographed beneath the Hollywood sign. L.A. and the Santa Monica Mountains are home to at least 95 mountain lions – and 13 kittens were born in 2020. For the most part, these mountain lions are keeping away from humans and sticking to their natural prey – deer still make up 88% of their diet. “The main issue with these mountain lions is that they’re trapped in the Santa Monica region,” says Jeff Sikich of the National Park Service. “They have some of the lowest genetic diversity ever recorded.”

Dr. Laurel Serieys, a Texan who cut her teeth studying bobcats at UCLA, moved to Cape Town, South Africa to study that city’s urban carcals (aka lynx) – the heaviest of South Africa’s small cats. Serieys established a highly successful and ongoing radio-collar tracking project that’s shown that the 16 – 40 pound cats are found in almost every corner of the city. Her work in Cape Town is especially important because most studies examining the effects of urbanization on biodiversity have been conducted in North America and Europe…But most of the world’s fastest growing cities are in developing nations.

The Sanjay Gandhi National Park on the outskirts of Mumbai, India is home to at least 40 leopards which roam the nearby slums looking for food. While the leopards do regularly attack (and sometimes kill) people, a 2018 paper argues that – by preying on stray, and sometimes rabid, dogs which are responsible for at least 75,000 bites in the city every year – they are actually a net benefit for humanity. The study found that dog densities near the park are lower and that people who live there “experience only 11% of the bites compared with people who live further from the park.”

A study co-authored by Wits University’s Prof Craig Symes shows Johannesburg, South Africa has become a much more varied environment as a result of human impact. What was once pure grassland now includes woodlands, artificial wetlands, concrete jungle and pockets of natural grassland. Symes estimates that the number of bird species found in the area has jumped from about 200 before humans arrived to over 300 today. This increase is not necessarily a positive change as habitat loss has affected many endemic bird species. But it does show that Jo’burg still functions ecologically – and it makes it an exciting place for birders.

While many species are able to adapt to the day-to-day travails of urban life, the intergenerational challenges are harder to overcome. Many of the animals that thrive in cities do so in “green islands” surrounded by asphalt and concrete. Over generations this habitat fragmentation leads to inbreeding and greatly reduces genetic diversity. Luckily, urban ecologists are doing something about it. The ecological bridge that spans the Bukit Timah Expressway in Singapore connects two important nature reserves and has been used by more than 15 species including the critically endangered Sunda pangolin. The Netherlands, meanwhile, boasts more 600 manmade wildlife corridors.

The jump in urban wildlife sightings during Coronavirus lockdowns led many to argue wildlife was “reclaiming” cities. But as a recent paper points out, it’s “unclear whether wildlife truly reoccupied urban areas or whether there were simply increased detections of urban wildlife during this time.” Did we really capture that cougar’s first sortie into Santiago? Or did it just feel more comfortable revealing itself with no humans around? Either way, the study’s authors hope “the shutdown will give us a chance to ruminate on what wildlife-friendly cities might look like, and how our science can point the way toward them.”

Some species haven’t just adapted to city life – it seems to be making them smarter. When scientists lab-tested a raccoon-proof trashcan, not a single raccoon was able to break in. But once the bins were deployed in Toronto, a number of individuals worked out how to use gravity to bust the locks. Even more impressively, a study of baboons in Cape Town, South Africa showed that baboons made a beeline for areas where rangers couldn’t agree on how to manage them. In the wild, cautious species tend to do best. But boldness seems to yield rewards in the city.

Johannesburg’s gorgeous Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden has been home to a nesting pair of Verreaux’s eagles for as long as anyone can remember. With their 7-foot wingspan, and weighing in at 12 pounds each, these birds warrant a special visit. Nest building commences in late February and continues through April. Two eggs are laid in April or May, and the chicks usually hatch in late May. Within days the older, stronger chick kills its sibling, before finally fledging in September. The chick hangs around until December, so the only time you’re unlikely to see the eagles is in January and February.

In East African cities like Nairobi and Kampala stray dogs have been largely usurped by enormous and unsightly Marabou storks – or “undertaker birds” as they are known locally. With their massive beaks, pink throat sacs and unfortunate habit of pooping on their foot (a temperature regulation ploy) the 5-foot-tall birds won’t win any beauty contests. But, as Kenya Wildlife Service ornithologist Alfred Owino explains, “Marabou storks reduce the spread of disease by cleaning up dirt, including animal carcasses, from the environment. Indeed, in some areas like around abattoirs where they feed, they are nicknamed ‘health inspectors.'”

You don’t have to travel to Antarctica to see a penguin in the wild: the Cape Town suburb of Simon’s Town is home to around 3000 African penguins – around 10% of the global population. The knee-high birds, which used to be known as Jackass penguins due to their donkey-like call, can be seen waddling the streets, nesting under verandas and scything through the azure waters of False Bay. Cape Town is also home to SANCCOB, a non-profit that’s probably the only reason African penguins aren’t already extinct. And, as OZY found out, they’re looking for volunteers…

Have you encountered an urban beast? Share your thoughts with us at [email protected].