Lockdowns Reveal Thriving Wildlife Without Human Interference.

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns provided a unique opportunity for scientists to study how human activities impact animal behavior. Researchers from the COVID-19 Bio-Logging Initiative used bio-logging devices to track the movements of large land mammals during lockdowns and found that they were 36% closer to roads and moved 73% further than during the same period the previous year. The study highlights the direct influence of human mobility on animal behavior and suggests new ways to positively impact wildlife, such as adjusting traffic flows in areas important for animal movement.