The iconic dark circles, brown-gray hair, pointed mouth, furry tail, and big dripping eyes glow in the darkness of the night, this kind of creature hidden in the walls and false caves of residential areas is the raccoon. As an endemic species in China, the raccoon belongs to the genus Raccopods of the mammalian order Carnivorous canine family, which is widely distributed in eastern, central and southern China, and has been listed as a national second-level key protected wild animal.
In recent years, with the restoration of the urban ecological environment, the raccoon has quietly returned to the city. What is the current state of life after the raccoon has entered the city? How many raccoons are there in Shanghai? Last month, under the guidance of the Wildlife Conservation Department of the Shanghai Municipal Greening and City Appearance Administration and the Shanghai Forestry General Station, Wang Fang's team and the Shanshui Nature Conservation Center jointly launched a "Raccoon Census", 2 weekends, 16 team leaders, more than 130 team members, visited 42 communities in Songjiang District, investigated the habits, status, and proportion of adults and youngsters of the raccoons, and aggregated them into a complete urban wildlife data puzzle.
In addition to the raccoons living in Shanghai, the civets in Nanjing and the otters in Shenzhen have also entered people's sights. Cities no longer seem to be the exclusive space of humans, and some wild animals have taken the initiative to move back to the city and live next to humans and live together.
When cities become the active choice of wild animals, "they chase in residential areas, chase city lights, and even actively use urban roads to spread." We used to feel that the threat of wildlife in the past by cities has become an attraction to wildlife in cities today. Wang Fang, a researcher at the School of Life Sciences of Fudan University, said.
Do wild animals transmit the virus? Do wild animals attack people? How to scientifically manage wildlife in the city? Can humans and wildlife really share a living space? Wang Fang believes that data can give us answers, and this "raccoon census" provides answers for understanding the basic data of raccoons by understanding the basic data of raccoons, and also provides answers for understanding the changes in the distribution range and behavior habits of raccoons in the future, and explores the path of peaceful coexistence between humans and wild animals.
Raccoon living in Shanghai. Courtesy of respondents
What does the "Raccoon Census" look for?
Have you heard of the census, but have you ever heard of the "Raccoon Census"? For 2 weekends, 42 communities, 16 team leaders and more than 130 team members launched an investigation in Shanghai's Songjiang District. Recently, under the guidance of the Wildlife Conservation Department of the Shanghai Municipal Greening and City Appearance Administration and the Shanghai Forestry Station, Wang Fang's team organized a "Raccoon Census" with the Shanshui Nature Conservation Center, the Urban Wilderness, the Shanghai Museum of Natural History and other institutions to search for the small creatures hidden in the city - raccoons.
According to Wang Fang, the main task of the "Raccoon Census" is to understand the basic data of raccoons living in the city; The second is to understand the attitude and cognition of residents, and to popularize science to more publics so that they can better understand the animal.
How many raccoons are there in Shanghai? Wang Fang believes that this seems to be a simple but difficult question to answer. Like someone asks, how many giant pandas are there in China? Figuring out this problem could require several years of investigations by hundreds of staff in the three provinces where giant pandas live to get accurate data.
"We don't have basic data, and without basic data we can't know the past distribution of animals, the changes in history, the amount that cities can safely accept, these most important and precious basic data are missing, we can only grope from scratch." Wang Fang said. This is also the significance of the urgent need to carry out a "raccoon census".
The main task of this "Raccoon Census" is to clarify how many raccoons there are in Shanghai. To this end, the Shanghai Forestry Station, the Shanshui Nature Conservation Center and the Wang Fang team designed a set of sample line survey methods, a total of 42 communities, each community according to the area of 2 to 10 survey team members, at the same time to start the investigation, record the number of raccoons seen, to obtain basic data.
Shanghai Milano Guidu Community has experienced a period of raccoon number outbreak, the community has more than 70 raccoons, the density of several times beyond the normal community. In this survey, the number of raccoons in the community dropped to about 30. According to Wang Fang's observation, the proportion of juvenile raccoons in the community is not high, nor does it take the initiative to approach people; Adult raccoons are wary of people and hide and retreat when they encounter people.
In the "Raccoon Census", it was found that the small raccoons who were very vigilant when they saw people. Screenshot of Xinhua News Agency's live broadcast
"This is what we are willing to see, people and raccoons can maintain a safe distance, and no one will break through this distance." Wang Fang said that the overall number of raccoons is currently controllable, and there is no abnormal behavior worth vigilance, and the overall situation of this investigation is better.
"Urban management requires basic data. Raccoons' feeding preferences, bravery, tendency to attack, spread channels in cities, presence of viruses, and whether they bite people all require long-term behavioral monitoring. "Compared with animals living in the wild, wild animals in cities change faster, and basic data is conducive to analyzing the changes of wild animals in the city, which is conducive to the control of wild animals in the later stage, maintaining a stable number, and achieving peaceful coexistence between humans and animals."
Letting more people know about wildlife in the city is also one of the tasks of this census. "At present, there are still many residents who are not aware of the existence of raccoons, and on the whole, it seems that there is still a long way to go to promote the popularization of urban wildlife." If you know more about urban wildlife, the protection and management of urban wildlife will be less difficult or hindered. Wang Fang said.
Li Xiao, who lives in Shanghai, did not know that there were still wild animals such as raccoons in the city where he lived. Li Xiao said, "After seeing the recruitment of the 'Raccoon Census' released on the public account, I really realized that in Shanghai, there is a medium-sized canine animal around us, and it is also a national second-level protected animal." After participating in the "Raccoon Census", Li Xiao had a more specific perception of the raccoon, "Now I know its appearance and understand its personality." It turns out that the raccoon does not actively approach people, and is a nocturnal animal. ”
In addition to the "Raccoon Census", Wang Fang's team and the Shanshui Nature Conservation Center have also visited hundreds of communities in Shanghai to collect raccoon sites through the questionnaire survey of "Raccoon Intelligence"; Deploy dozens of infrared cameras to monitor biodiversity and record raccoons, roe deer and other mammals; Carry out the work of picking up raccoons and learn about the "city recipes" of raccoons. Provide a data basis for urban management through a large number of survey activities.
Raccoon, not alone
The arrival of wild animals into cities is not a rare event that has attracted attention in recent years. In the 1930s, New York completed the construction of the main city, and after stopping its rapid expansion, raccoons entered the city. Scientists have found that these raccoons with "city hukou" are smart and bold. In a short time, they became familiar with the rules and order of the city. They can play with Rubik's Cubes, build blocks, and operate complex mechanisms.
What's even more amazing is that raccoons in the city seem to have their own 3D GPS. They go to heaven and earth, know how to walk in the basement, how to get on the roof, and even know where there are few cars. The size, intelligence, eating habits, and social behavior of raccoons living in the city have also changed, becoming a strange and familiar species for humans.
Chicago also had its first coyotes 20 years ago, and when they entered the city, coyotes changed their habits. It learned to watch traffic lights, and it also took the subway and the bus. Coyotes also began to "work the night shift", they went to the city at night to forage for food, and returned to the quiet countryside to sleep during the day.
Chicago, the coyotes on the subway and on the bus. Courtesy of respondents
When the mainland's cities were heavily built in the last century, wild animals also disappeared. With the increase of wetlands in recent years, the restoration of urban ecology, and the quiet return of wild animals to the city. In Nanjing, we can find wild boars, find ferret badgers; In Hangzhou's West Lake, you can see civets and weasels; Otters and kittens appeared in Shenzhen; There are wild boars, roe deer and badgers around Beijing.
Raccoons are not alone in Shanghai. Wang Fang said that among Shanghai's urban wildlife, the number of raccoons is not the largest, and the distribution area is not the most extensive. Compared with raccoons, the most common wild animals in Shanghai are weasels and red-bellied squirrels, commonly known as weasels, but these two animals are smaller and more secretive.
In addition, not all animals can adapt to the city. Wang Fang introduced that according to the living habits of animals and the harshness of the environment, it can be divided into two categories. The first type is called generalized species, taking raccoons as an example, they have a more relaxed need for the environment, can tolerate human activities, and even the city will provide them with many survival conveniences; The difference is that endemic species, like giant pandas and snow leopards, are very harsh on the environment, so in fact, more wild animals cannot adapt to the urban environment.
Nowadays, the ocelot and otter in Shanghai have disappeared, and the distribution area of the badger has shrunk rapidly, but the raccoon has successfully become an urban animal by changing its original living habits. Its habits changed from day-to-night, from living alone to living in groups. Its food also adds human household garbage and cat food to wild foods such as earthworms, insects, birds and rodents.
According to previous research, Wang Fang and his team also found dried peppers and crab shells in the raccoon's feces. According to research, it is speculated that raccoons may have eaten diced kung pao chicken, boiled beef and spicy crab in wet garbage. "This is the urban animal, what kind of environment we give it, what it will become." He said.
How to coexist peacefully with raccoons?
In the past, when it came to wild animals in cities, the first reaction of both citizens and managers was to consider returning them to nature. But Wang's team found that drastically changing the living areas of wild animals may not be the best solution.
When the raccoons were first discovered, Wang Fang's team also put the raccoons in the community on GPS collars and sent them to natural fields suitable for survival. But the data returned by the GPS collar shows that the raccoons are struggling to return to their familiar human settlements. Raccoons unfamiliar with the wild are difficult to survive successfully after being released in a different place. Backed by data, experts believe that in-place management may be more beneficial to the survival of raccoons.
In addition, wild animals are not outsiders, but indigenous people of cities. Once the construction and expansion of the city drove them away, now with the improvement of the urban ecological environment, they have returned to their "hometown".
However, many citizens are not ready to share space with them, and some questions are also lingering in the minds of citizens. Can humans really coexist in the same space as wild animals? In the course of the "Raccoon Census", many residents had never imagined that wild animals were hidden in the community, and some residents expressed concern about the raccoons living in the community: Will raccoons hurt people? Do raccoons carry the virus?
However, compared with cats and dogs, there are very few cases of raccoon injuries. According to the "China Animal Injury Diagnosis and Treatment Code", about 40 million people on the mainland are bitten by cats and dogs every year. But so far, there have only been three or four cases of raccoon bites. In fact, raccoons do not actively approach humans and attack humans.
During the epidemic prevention and control period, whether wild animals carry the virus is another issue that residents are worried about. In June this year, the Shanghai Wildlife and Nature Reserve Research Center and Wang Fang's team placed multiple cages in a community containing a high amount of "raccoons" in Shanghai, and then the team collected samples of more than 50 raccoons, and after analysis of blood, saliva and feces, it was found that there was no worrying virus on the raccoon's body.
If man inevitably wants to coexist with the raccoon, how can man and the raccoon coexist peacefully? Experts believe that residents do not have to worry and be afraid. The Shanghai Forestry Station has also been advocating the four no's principle of getting along with animals, that is, not afraid, not touching, not harming, and not feeding.
"Raccoons think of home" popular science poster. Courtesy of Shanshui Nature Conservation Center
The peaceful coexistence of man and raccoon means letting go of his mind. Just like the Milano Guidu community, where there has been an outbreak of raccoons, when there are just raccoons, it is often accompanied by complaints from citizens. According to the data, in 2020, the Shanghai forestry department received more than 100 complaints from the Milano Guidu community; But by 2021, the number of complaints has dropped rapidly. So far this year, there has not been a single complaint. Now that I have experienced three years with raccoons, many residents of many Shanghai communities have become accustomed to it and calmed down, and some citizens said, "Sometimes it is quite interesting for a few young raccoons to play and make trouble." ”
"I think this is a particularly stark change, people get through this panic, panic and uneasiness, they will find that coexistence with wild animals is not an unimaginable thing, we need to work hard to make sure that people and wildlife are safe, it is not easy, but it is the direction that must be worked on." 」 Wang Fang said.
Can people feed wild animals?
Peaceful coexistence with raccoons does not mean active approaching and feeding. "When an animal accepts food from another animal, it is a sign of weakness and subordination for canines. When the raccoon takes people for granted as a source of food, learns to tail and beg, and once the person stops providing food or does not have enough food, the raccoon will take the initiative to approach the person, and such proximity will also make the residents feel uneasy. Wang Fang said.
Many communities in Shanghai have been feeding raccoons, and there have even been "feeding raccoon squads". There was once a nest of raccoons living under the bridge in a community in Qingpu, and one of the great pleasures of the residents of the community was to stand on the bridge and throw food to the raccoons under the bridge. Li Yuhan, head of the Yangtze River Delta of the Shanshui Nature Conservation Center, said that many citizens love wild animals, but they don't know how to get along with them reasonably. "Actually, there is a kind of love that is restraint."
Shanghai Milano Guidu Community has been out of control of the number of raccoons due to over-feeding. Next to the slogan "No feeding of raccoons", Wang Fang recalled the scene at that time, on this large rock there was once piled up like a hill of cat food, and nearly 30 raccoons gathered next to the cat food. "They are biting and fighting for cat food, and the 'creaking' sound of eating cat food can be heard from a distance." It was also then that he realized that if humans fed too much food and disposed of their garbage, the number of raccoons in the community could grow rapidly and linearly.
At present, the neighborhood committee of a community in Qingpu, Shanghai, has directly sealed the feeding points located on the bridge with fences and seals, and pasted the words "no feeding" on all sides, and also placed science popularization exhibition boards related to raccoons in the middle. Many communities in Shanghai have also set up signs prohibiting the feeding of raccoons. In the owner's WeChat group, the public will also remind each other not to feed wild animals. The reduction in feeding also helps the number of raccoons return to the normal range.
The feeding point of the community bridge is sealed with a fence and a seal, and a sign of "no feeding" is posted. Courtesy of the interviewee
Li Yuhan also observed that in some communities, residents will choose to feed stray cats at high places or at regular fixed points to reduce the raccoon's intake of cat food.
Managing household waste is also another measure to control the number of raccoons. Volunteer Chen Mu said that there are also raccoons in his community. After 10 p.m., pedestrians who walk gradually return home, and the raccoons in the community quietly appear, crouching next to the garbage can, using their paws and teeth to scratch open the garbage bags scattered outside the garbage can and enjoy a big meal.
Chen Mu said that because the garbage truck was not cleared in time at night, after the wet garbage cans in the community were filled, the wet garbage was easier to attract the raccoons, and the raccoons turned over the garbage, which also caused the environment around the garbage cans to become dirty.
The kitchen waste thrown away by humans is often high in salt, oil and sugar. "Raccoons eat domestic garbage for a long time, and the salt content increases the burden on the kidneys; High oil and sugar can also easily lead to obesity, high blood lipids, skin diseases and so on. The bigger problem is that an abnormally high density can cause the raccoon to be in a state of tension that ultimately affects the lives of citizens. Wang Fang said.
With the efforts of residents, the garbage management in Chen Mu's community has become more standardized. After 10 p.m., the owners of the community are forbidden to throw garbage, and the garbage truck will also remove the garbage of the day in time, no longer giving the raccoon an opportunity. Today, the environment at the dumpster has improved, and the number of raccoons picking up trash has decreased.
Is it really unavoidable for humans and beasts to clash?
Zoologists divide human-animal conflict into low-level conflict and high-level conflict, and say that as long as wild animals appear, there must be different forms of conflict, but the conflict between humans and wild animals is not as terrible as people think.
Some of the lower-level conflicts include wildlife that can frighten people and can have odor and noise effects. Wang Fang suggested that low-level conflicts can be avoided through some moderate methods, such as setting up warning signs and popularizing science education.
According to Li Yuhan, the Shanshui Nature Conservation Center also printed a number of cartoon science posters and distributed them to the communities of Songjiang, Qingpu and Minhang to publicize how humans should get along with raccoons, including wet garbage should be put in garbage cans, do not feed raccoons, etc.
"Raccoons think of home" popular science poster. Courtesy of Shanshui Nature Conservation Center
In recent years, there have also been news of wild animals such as wild boars entering the city. Seeing wild boars in the city seems more worrisome than raccoons. According to previous media reports, a wild boar appeared in a small area of Shijingshan in Beijing in July this year.
"Wild boars are now in Shijingshan, Beijing, and may be seen elsewhere in Beijing in the future." Wang Fang's team had previously rehearsed the route of wild boars into Beijing. "We had expected wild boars to enter the area around Beijing's Yuquan Mountain and Baiwang Mountain from Xishan Mountain."
At present, there are sporadic situations of wild boars in Chinese cities, such as Berlin, Spain, Barcelona and other cities in Germany, where there are more than 3,000 wild boars, while the number of wild boars seen in mainland cities is less than ten in a year, and the overall number is low.
Compared with people who are afraid of wild animals, animals are actually more afraid of people. Wang Fang said, "Now that wild animals as a whole have a greater fear of people, citizens do not need to worry about wild boars in the city at present, and their mentality can still be stabilized." ”
However, management should quickly establish a sound emergency plan. Wang Fang said, "Once there is a high-level conflict, be prepared. This includes when animals can be anesthetized, when they can be killed, and what methods are used to control them. But all contingency plans are temporary, and the longer-term solution is to collect data on the distribution, abundance, habits and other data of urban wildlife in more cities as soon as possible, find out their population status through scientific means, and formulate long-term conservation and management plans. ”
Wang Fang reminded that this is the time node to step up the mapping of urban wildlife, and the wildlife department should quickly start basic work such as data monitoring and collection. All of this is for the common good of ecosystems and civic life, avoiding as much as possible before intense human-wildlife conflicts occur.
"Harmonious coexistence may just be a scene in a fairy tale. In the real world, it is the norm for people and animals to skirmish from time to time. But such skirmishes are not intolerable. The entry of wild animals into cities is also a by-product of a better urban environment, which is almost an inevitable result. Wang Fang said, "Conflict is eternal, the form of conflict is constantly changing, but we can not build a city with four walls, only human beings survive alone, wild animals living in the city is the inevitable result of urban ecological construction, we have no choice, we can only take the initiative to respond, as far as possible to promote the harmonious coexistence of human and natural ecology." ”
Rapid change also means there is no one-size-fits-all solution, which also makes the management of wildlife within cities difficult. Wang Fang believes that the top priority is to lay a good foundation for scientific management of basic data, constantly see changes in animals and urban environments, flexible adjustment strategies, and achieve "one thing, one law" or even "one district, one law".
Written by: Intern Wang Wei Nandu reporter Song Lingyan sent from Beijing