Londoners saw more than 400 seals in the Thames in 2024, in a city with around 10,000 foxes, a steady figure in the face of the animal’s disappearance in rural Britain.
According to data from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), seal sightings in the capital are on the rise, with 417 recorded this year, between Teddington (about 15 km west of central London) and Woolwich (about 14 km east of the city centre). ).
“There are about 3,600 in the Thames. They live mostly in the estuary where the river meets the North Sea (about 50km from London),” said Mary Tester, founder of Thames Seal Watch.
“There has been an increase in the sight of seals in London in recent years. I’m not sure why,” said Tester, head of an association that is dedicated to the protection of these animals in the Thames.
If seal sightings are an event on the River Thames which was declared biologically dead in some areas in 1957 by the Natural History Museum in London, foxes are easier to spot.
“There is a stable population of around 10,000 to 12,000 foxes in Greater London which has not changed significantly for at least 45 years,” said Trevor Williams, founder of The Fox Project, a charity dedicated to the protection of this animal.
– Fewer foxes in rural areas –
With the rise and persistence of the fox in London, its presence has declined throughout the United Kingdom.
“Although the national picture is one of obvious decline, it has been more pronounced in rural areas. Fox numbers in urban areas have increased significantly. In London it is extremely high,” explained the Professor Phil Stephens, from Durham University, expert in zoology.
A 2022 study by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), along with two other societies, showed “a 42% decline in foxes in the UK between 1996 and 2017.”
“Several reasons have been identified for this decline, such as disease, a reduction in prey opportunities, especially a large decline in rabbits, or the overuse of pesticides,” explained Trevor Williams.
The foxes, who started to be seen in London around 1930, realized that it was easier to get food in a big city.
“Living close to people suited them, with gardens that provided them with food in the form of rats, birds and insects,” said Sandra Reddy, manager of The Fox Project.
As well as foxes, walkers will find deer or thousands of squirrels in London’s parks.
NerdWallet, an American financial company, found in a 2022 study on real estate investments, that London is in first place among European capitals, with 3,000 parks, in the number of green areas.
“It tends to be among the greenest cities because around 47% of Greater London is green space,” explained Mandy Rudd, head of Greenspace Information for Greater London (GIGL), the capital’s environmental record centre.
Rebecca Thomas, a professor specializing in urban ecology at Royal Holloway University in London, highlights the best qualities of the British capital for being home to different types of wild animals.
“There are other cities in Europe that have excellent wildlife, but the different habitats are often not as well connected, meaning that some species struggle to survive in the long term, ” Thomas explained.
– More seal views –
If it is shocking to see foxes so easily in London, it is also possible to see a seal in London, although it is more difficult, and more than 400 sightings recorded this year speak for themselves. his presence.
And they are still growing in the estuary, as shown by the fact that 2,236 were counted in 2015, and this year it has reached 3,600.
“There are no specific places to see them, and if there were no information I would want to share with the public,” says Mary Tester, founder of Thames Seal Watch, as a warning to protect these animals.
As well as more than 400 seals, 46 dolphins have been spotted in London this year.
“We have also seen an increase in whales in the Thames, four since 2019. The only one that survived was the one that did not enter London,” explained Tester.
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2024-10-19 08:04:00
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