Second urban wildlife survey available
By Bobinec, Greg on February 4, 2020.
Greg Bobinec
Lethbridge Herald
University of Lethbridge PhD student Leila Armstrong is launching a new urban wildlife survey as part of the ongoing Backyard Wilderness project.
The survey asks 51 questions ranging from if you are a bird watcher to whether or not you are afraid of being sprayed by a skunk. Armstrong’s previous survey, conducted three years ago, yielded interesting results which she hopes to continue to build upon.
“The original Backyard Wilderness survey was able to gauge what animals visit people’s yards, what attractants they have on their property, and how they feel about animals visiting,” says Armstrong.
Armstrong reports preliminary results showing deer, skunks, and rabbits and hares are the most commonly reported wildlife in Lethbridge, where attitudes are generally positive.
The new survey will be able to show if there are any relationships between age, location, education and multiple other factors not included in the original study.
“Eighty-one per cent of Canadians live in urban centres,” says Armstrong. “In the face of those numbers I think it is important to understand our relationship to urban wildlife. Wildlife isn’t just out there in some rural local, it’s here in our backyard, in our alleys and parks.”
If you are interested in participating in the new survey, it can be found on the Backyard Wilderness webpage at backyardwilderness.info. The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.
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