Anthropause: When the World Stopped Due to the Pandemic

The pandemic has affected not only humans but also the wildlife. It goes unnoticed by nature, and so recent sightings of wild animals roaming the cities all over the world have become rampant, and scientists are not letting this opportunity to study how considerable global slowing of modern human activities affected the world.

Reports such as pumas being spotted strolling down the streets of Santiago, Chile, and coyotes combing through San Francisco, and rats growing more aggressive in their hunt for ever-dwindling scraps, or the monkeys that are fighting over diminishing resources have become normal these past few months.

Other people have started calling it the "Great Pause," but scientists have come up with a more precise and technical way to describe these exceptional circumstances, outlining what humans may learn from the effects of this period.

Anthropause

According to a previous report from Science Times, the lockdowns imposed by the governments across the globe have affected the economy, but nature has greatly benefited from it, especially with regards to the air quality.

Scientists describe the great pause or the considerable global slowing of modern human activities, particularly in traveling as the 'anthropause.'

The researchers wrote in a recent commentary for Nature Ecology and Evolution that it is important to study the immense human tragedy and hardship brought by COVID-19. It would be foolish not to study it, they added.

"But we cannot afford to miss the opportunity to chart - for the first time on a global scale - the extent to which modern human mobility affects wildlife," the researchers said.

However, the impact of the lockdown may not always be obvious or expected. The lockdown might have left some animals thriving in peace and quiet, but some are at a higher risk than before.

#wildlife is seen on some of the city streets during #lockdownindia
this Malabar#Civet cat was seen freely roaming the streets of #Kozhikode, #Kerala, during the current lockdown. pic.twitter.com/gE4SUWxdGE — Vidya Hegde (@listen2thiswomn) March 27, 2020

Increased Exploitation of Natural Resources

During the lockdown, endangered species have suffered more poaching than ever as economic hardship strikes some regions more than others. Additionally, nature has experienced an increase in exploitation.

This time is the perfect moment to study these complex interactions further, the team argues. It is of paramount importance that field biologists continue collecting data even during lockdowns, as long as they still follow the guidelines, and funding is not diverted from frontline workers that work to fight the virus.

Behavioral biologist Matthias-Claudio Loretto from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany, one of the study co-authors, said that the invaluable data available would allow experts to investigate if the movements of animals in modern landscapes are predominantly affected by buildings or by the presence of the people.

Studying this is a big thing as scientists have not teased these two factors apart, and current circumstances are ideal for further observation.

That is why researchers advocate for a new COVID-19 Bio-Logging Initiative to pool together resources and expertise on animals, including fish, birds, and mammals from around the world. According to Francesca Cagnacci, a senior researcher at the Edmund Mach Foundation in Italy, they have already received 200 datasets.

Bio-logging the Animals

The researchers plan to use 'bio-loggers' or electronic tracking devices attached to animals to record their movement, behavior, activity, physiology, and habitats during the pandemic crisis and when the world is on lockdown. The data will be integrated into a range of species monitoring programs to assess the impacts of human mobility and activity on the animals.

"These bio-loggers provide a goldmine of information on animal movement and behavior, which we can now tap to improve our understanding of human-wildlife interactions, with benefits for all," says biologist Christian Rutz from the University of St Andrews, UK.

Researchers hope the scientific knowledge that they can gain during this crisis will help reduce both human and animal suffering in the future as the world is already on its sixth known extinction event, and human's co-existence with wildlife leaves much to be desired.