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Living the wildlife: As humans stay at home, animals roaming free
By Elyse Carmosino | May 5, 2020
North Shore residents may see a lot more wildlife than usual on their daily walks, thanks to a combination of springtime and social distancing.
Mass Wildlife has issued an advisory informing the public of what to do when encountering young animals this season. The organization’s chief of education and information, Marion Larson, said the state has already begun to see an increase in the number of animals out and about, emboldened by the lack of cars on the road due to state-wide stay-at-home orders.
“We’re anticipating that people are going to be discovering wildlife they may not have even realized was around, especially now that they’re spending more time in their own yards and neighborhoods,” Larson said. “You’ll be seeing wildlife in some places, like along the road, that you may not (usually) see.”
Swampscott in particular has had a tough time with turkeys in the past, with one bird — affectionately named Vinny by residents — having staked his territory around Vinnin Square earlier this year.
Dan Proulx, with Swampscott Animal Control, said that although Vinny himself has moved on to neighboring Marblehead, part of the current problem is that residents continue to feed the turkeys from their yards.
“You’ve got some that like them, some that hate them,” he said, adding later: “I’m expecting more (turkeys) on the roads and getting hit by cars.”
Larson said turkeys can become especially aggressive in the spring, and cautioned residents against getting too close.
“At this time of year, the birds that are strutting around and flaring out, fanning their tail, those are the males that are trying to attract the attention of females,” she said. “They will also get fairly aggressive towards one another trying to establish who is the dominant male in the crowd.”
She added aggression can sometimes be aimed toward people as well.
“What can happen with some individual birds is they will start viewing people as turkeys and try to establish dominance,” she explained.
Larson said that although it’s early in the season, Mass Wildlife has already started to receive calls from residents worried about newborn animals found in yards and alongside now-quiet roads.
“We’ve certainly had an uptick in wildlife sightings in general because there’s a lot less vehicular traffic,” she said. “It’s early, but we’ve noticed people on social media showing ‘hey, look at these turkeys that are running up.’ What was normally a busy road isn’t busy. There are hardly any cars parked, let alone traffic, so in that sense we’re getting reports from people saying ‘we’re seeing a fox here, we’re seeing a coyote there.’ There’s not as much activity, so the (animals) are going to take advantage of that as well.”
Springtime — the mating season for most species — usually yields a higher number of calls to Mass Wildlife from residents who have stumbled upon baby birds and other young animals, but what’s different this year is the fact so many people are stuck inside their homes with more time to be out in nature.
“This is kind of a ‘hey, heads up,’” Larson said of Mass Wildlife’s tips. “You might find these (animals), so here’s the responsible action to take. Generally we tell people to leave everything alone.”
Larson also stressed that humans aren’t always great at determining what a newborn animal needs.
“Parenting models in the wildlife world are very different from people. You see young wildlife that you think is abandoned, but a lot of times the parent animal only comes by a few times a day,” she said.
What concerned residents can do, however, is educate themselves on how best to interact with natural habitats around them.
During a time when parents everywhere are struggling to school their children at home, Larson recommends using the information provided by Mass Wildlife to educate youngsters and provide them with a more hands-on learning experience.
“Whether you’re in an urban area, a suburban area, a rural area, wildlife is all around you,” she said. “This is an excellent time to get to know your neighborhood and your wild neighbors.
“Parents and teachers are looking for informational things to do for their kids. Why not learn about the wildlife in your backyard? There are things in your own backyard that have some really interesting life history.”
Mass Wildlife’s tips on what to do for a sick or injured animal can be found at mass.gov, and Larson also encourages those interested to check out the organization’s ‘Living with Wildlife’ fact sheet library.
“It’s all about enjoying wildlife responsibly and keeping a good, safe distance,” Larson said.