Modern Zootopia: How animals contribute the happiness of cities

Animals are dominating modern cities, and we human beings, need their company more than we have ever imaged.

The boundaries between human-made and natural habitats are diminishing. Modern metropolises are true Zootopias that demonstrate the interweaved relationship among different species.

Weasels in Cairo

“It takes some luck to spot weasels on the streets in Cairo,” said Nayer Youakim, a professional wildlife photographer and active contributor from Mammal Watching. Tiny head, round snout with their fusiform body, Egyptian weasels dart between cars and bolt into cracks of buildings, so fast that witnesses can barely figure out what they have just glimpsed.

Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Youakim has successfully captured these agile carnivores and their night-life frenzy in photos over the years. “I took some of my great shots accidentally when I was testing the camera flashlight on the streets at night. They move too fast for any photographer to catch up with.”

Even though the massive waste problem is still a conundrum for residents in Cairo to deal with, there are no signs to show that mice and rats are taking over the streets. Cats might be respectable patrollers, but one hypothesis attributes this result to Egyptian weasels, which demonstrate their superior talents on catching urban rodents. “The Cairenes should be thankful for weasels if this is true,” said Youakim.

These nocturnal hunters must eat a third or more of their body weight each day to sustain their high metabolic rate. With their relative big brains to body mass, they can continuously fine-tune their movements during an attack, a strategy that allows them to prey on animals up to 10 times bigger in size – A capability that is especially crucial in their urban habitat where city rats sometimes can grow much larger.

Leaving few traces of their existence, the weasels in Cairo seem unaware of their contribution to the locals, but satisfyingly enjoy what they have in this thousand-year-old city.

Otters in Singapore

Otters seem to stand for the opposite of urban life. They live in families, usually near forested rivers and swamps, or along the coastlines. However, the otters in Singapore prove that not just humans have the ability to live comfortably in a built environment.

“Otters were thought to be extinct in Singapore 50 years ago,” said Lin-Hua Lai, marine mammal expert at Taiwan Endemic Species Research Institute. “The re-emerging population is believed to originate from a group of smooth-coated otters that swam across the Johor Straits. Their resettlement is proof of the success deriving from the Water Clean-up Act in Singapore during the 80s.”

In 2016, Lai joined the 13^th International Otter Congress in Singapore and was amazed by how close the otters could live with humans. “These otters not only break the assumptions of how picky they are while choosing the habitats but also showcase how well they can adapt to artificial landscapes.”

Currently, there are more than ten otter families scattered in the area such as Marina Bay, Changi, and Sungei Buloh. “Each family is extremely tight-knit,” said Lai. “You can find the older family members looking after the little, and they defend their territories as a group rather than individuals. Simply observing them can sometimes be inspiring.”  

As otters proliferate in this garden city, their happiness also becomes a public concern and motivates environmental protection efforts in Singapore. Many citizens realize that it might take decades to bring the otters back to this country, but only a few careless policies to drive them away.

They play on turfs, chase on running tracks or perches on concrete dams, the otter families, like the famous Bisan 10, win the affection of tourists and locals alike with no effort. Above all, who would think of losing these lovely water rafters after seeing their cuteness as they chill on the water and rest with their hands holding each other tight?

Fireflies in Taipei

To go “firefly-watching” sounds like nonsense in a modern metropolis like Taipei. This is because generally, fireflies can only survive in clean water areas without abusing light pollution. Nevertheless, it actually takes only a few-minute walk from certain subway stations to find these glowing elves as the balmy spring air permeates the entire city every April to May.

Building a habitat is a complex endeavor that requires more than simply digging a water body and rolling out the flora. “We need to transform the landscape into an environment full of lives,” explained I-JU Pan, director of this ecological renovation project.“Daan park already has its verdant canopy, but those giant arbors are not enough for fireflies. “That is why we had to plant more trees with different heights, then used them to cover the ponds layer-by-layer. This effort helped generate the essential living conditions for fireflies.”

“Good running water, density, heights of shrubs as well as the depth of ponds all influence the survival of firefly larvae” explained Pan. Despite their uncompromising demands of habitat quality, the fireflies in Daan park have successfully reproduced and lit up the ecology ponds as well as the hearts of visitors since 2017. Besides, people now can appreciate the gorgeous dance of fireflies in various spots within the city, easily reachable by public transportation. 

Some are brought in by humans; others had long existed before the cities were formed. Urban animals enrich our city life and, as always, a little respect and care are what they always need from us.