file photo by Boyd Loving
In North Jersey’s suburban jungle some animals thrive, others struggle near humans
SEPTEMBER 30, 2014, 6:49 AM
BY JAMES M. O’NEILL
STAFF WRITER
NORTHJERSEY.COM
Canada geese get sucked into the engines of a jet, forcing it to make an emergency landing on the Hudson River. The carcasses of struck deer dot the shoulders of Bergen County roadways. A groundhog slashes the face of a family’s pit bull in Wayne. A black bear kills a hiker in West Milford.
For a variety of reasons, suburbia is growing more wild. Some species are learning to thrive in this human-engineered landscape, leading experts to warn that the number of conflicts between people and wildlife will only increase.
The issue is forcing officials to assess how best to manage these species in places where traditional methods of wildlife management – hunting and trapping – are unpalatable or impractical.
At the same time, as suburbia expands its footprint, other species – those that need specific habitat to survive – struggle to hang on. The bobwhite quail, once common, is virtually extinct in New Jersey, as its grassland habitat disappears. Another bird, the piping plover, crowded out by beachgoers, now numbers about 120 nesting pairs in the state.
“The suburban environment has changed the makeup of wildlife,” said Stewart Breck, a wildlife biologist at the National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, Colo.
Researchers are still learning how suburban development alters ecosystems, and what the impacts could be.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/environment/in-north-jersey-s-suburban-jungle-some-animals-thrive-others-struggle-near-humans-1.1098967#sthash.f8FNqJa3.dpuf