Nature taking over humanity | Photo by Jessica Fugett | The Wright State Guardian
Coronavirus took the world by storm, sending billions into lockdown beginning late March 2020. As people were quarantining in their homes for the sake of their health, the world around them began to flourish and recover from the constant abuse of humankind.
“One thing that many people have noticed, especially when people were more on lockdown, is that the boldness of wild animals had increased,” said Director of Wright State University’s (WSU) Environmental Science Ph.D. Program Don Cipollni. “Animals like deer and such were more frequently seen in areas where they would have been frightened off with more human traffic.”
WSU students have also begun to cherish the incredible wildlife on campus now that they are back in action, particularly along the trails all around the university.
“Personally, I am impressed by the sheer size of our campus trails. When I heard we had trails I wasn’t expecting this. It’s impressive and a fun day’s adventure wandering through the woods,” said WSU student Trevor Seech-Hvratin.
Speculation remains as to whether or not the significant decrease in human traffic and interaction with the outside world during the pandemic is causing the environment to improve; however, the improvements noted are not just coincidental.
“Some actual studies [conducted in the last few months] that I am aware of include the fact that some songbirds were able to reduce the volume of their singing in areas where they did not have to compete with traffic noise. Other studies in the same vein with insects suggest that they do the same thing,” said Cipollni. “Overall, one could assume that with the reduced traffic noise, reduced lighting, reduced pollution outputs, etc., that there were many such benefits for wildlife of the lockdown”.
As we fair for further research to be conducted, the students of WSU continue to admire local scenery in a new light. By abiding by local and state guidelines, students have inadvertently begun to care for the environment as well. The healthier the environment is, the better quality of life the people and wildlife living in it will have.
