Wild at heart?
Sir David Attenborough reveals how mammals are having to adapt to life alongside us…
Human activity is having an increasing impact on habitats in the natural world, and the latest episode of Sir David Attenborough’s wildlife series explores how our relationship with our fellow mammals is becoming ever more complex and intertwined.
‘As our world changes, so must they,’ says David. ‘For many wild mammals, surviving requires adaptability and a helping hand from us.’
The episode examines how some resourceful mammals are embracing new opportunities in populated areas. Sea lions in Chile eat leftovers from a fish market but face hostility from local dogs, while a family of smooth-coated otters has set up home on the busy streets of Singapore, and elephants make nocturnal excursions into the town next to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.
‘They’ve discovered how to get water from garden taps but the size, brashness and curiosity of bull elephants can lead to confrontations with humans. Their big appetites also make them demanding visitors,’ explains David.
Other mammals have devised ways to avoid co-existing with us, such as wolves on the Israel-syria border who are raising their families in abandoned fields that are no-go areas for humans as they contain unexploded landmines. But in African reserves aimed at wildlife conservation, cheetahs can’t escape the gaze of tourists as they hunt.
‘More and more of the cheetahs’ hunts are failing, and in areas of high tourism, survival of cubs is also greatly reduced. But tourism has become essential to fund the protection of wild areas,’ reveals
David. ‘We must find a balance in today’s
“new wild”.’