New study reveals animal behaviour during COVID lockdown [Video]

The COVID-19 lockdown for humans was not an opportunity for wildlife to run free, in fact a new study found herbivores tend to be more active around people, while carnivores remained hidden.

The study, published Monday in Nature Ecology and Evolution and led by researchers at the University of B.C., is one of the largest of its kind on wildlife activity, involving 120 researchers worldwide and 5,000 so called camera traps, taking pictures of the animals.

Lead author Cole Burton, an associate professor of forest resources management at UBC, says COVID-19 restrictions provided researchers with a “very unique opportunity” to learn how animals respond to people.

The study says one striking pattern of animal responses to increased human activity came from species in more developed areas, and when humans were out, activity for many animals in those modified landscapes also picked up.

Burton says wolves, cougars and other carnivores still …