Science - AFP
British animals abandoning country for good life in the cities: report
Sat Mar 20, 7:08 PM ET
LONDON (AFP) - Intensive farming is driving many British animal species away from the countryside to seek a new life in the cities, where they can thrive in parks and gardens, a report said.
Some species such as hedgehogs, shrews, dormice and hares are declining in number in rural areas, but are flourishing in towns, cities and suburbs, according to a study cited by the Sunday Times newspaper.
Even some larger animals such as deer and badgers, populations of which are steady in the countryside, are also moving in increasing numbers to built-up areas, the study by Mammals Trust UK found.
Intensive farming was causing a "decline in biodiversity" in many rural areas, Mammals Trust UK chief executive Valerie Keeble told the newspaper.
"It seems gardens and parks increasingly offer better resources such as food and shelter," she said.
The trust asked 3,000 members to survey the wildlife in their area, using both direct sightings and the existence of droppings and burrows, the Sunday Times said.
The survey found some surprising results, such as increasing numbers of the tiny muntjac deer in London's parks, as well as roe deer spotted in the Scottish cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh.
This is how we can save all of the animals (Wolves, Grizzly Bears, Spotted Owl, etc, seems to be working in Great Brittin...
British animals abandoning country for good life in the cities: report
Sat Mar 20, 7:08 PM ET
LONDON (AFP) - Intensive farming is driving many British animal species away from the countryside to seek a new life in the cities, where they can thrive in parks and gardens, a report said.
Some species such as hedgehogs, shrews, dormice and hares are declining in number in rural areas, but are flourishing in towns, cities and suburbs, according to a study cited by the Sunday Times newspaper.
Even some larger animals such as deer and badgers, populations of which are steady in the countryside, are also moving in increasing numbers to built-up areas, the study by Mammals Trust UK found.
Intensive farming was causing a "decline in biodiversity" in many rural areas, Mammals Trust UK chief executive Valerie Keeble told the newspaper.
"It seems gardens and parks increasingly offer better resources such as food and shelter," she said.
The trust asked 3,000 members to survey the wildlife in their area, using both direct sightings and the existence of droppings and burrows, the Sunday Times said.
The survey found some surprising results, such as increasing numbers of the tiny muntjac deer in London's parks, as well as roe deer spotted in the Scottish cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh.
This is how we can save all of the animals (Wolves, Grizzly Bears, Spotted Owl, etc, seems to be working in Great Brittin... 
