Humans have ‘large, negative impact on wildlife,’ researchers find

Humans are often to blame for illnesses and injuries that land animals in wildlife rehabilitation centers, a recent analysis in the journal Biological Conservation suggests. The broad-reaching study looked at animals housed in wildlife centers in the United States and Canada — and highlighted threats that humans present to over 1,000 species.

The study reviewed a data set of 674,320 digitized records from 94 wildlife centers throughout North America running from 1975 to 2019. The records contain information about all kinds of animals, but Eastern cottontail rabbits, Eastern gray squirrels, Virginia opossums, American robins and raccoons were most frequently admitted to wildlife rehab centers, although species varied by region.

Researchers pinpointed several leading reasons for animal injuries, including human disturbances such as collisions with vehicles, injuries and illness; predators; and poisonous substances.