We are delighted to welcome you to our next Saints Talk lecture by Professor Christian Rutz, taking place live on Tuesday 3 November at 5pm GMT via Microsoft Teams* Studying wildlife responses to reduced human activity during COVID-19 lockdown.

Earlier this year, many countries around the world were forced to go into lockdown to control the spread of COVID-19. Brought about by the most tragic circumstances, this period of unusually reduced human mobility — which Professor Rutz’s team recently coined “anthropause” — provides an unprecedented opportunity to study human–wildlife interactions. How do animals behave when there are fewer humans out and about? Do they “reclaim” habitats they would normally avoid? Do terrestrial and marine animals respond in the same manner?

In this talk, Professor Rutz will explain how the International Bio-Logging Society, which he is serving as Founding President, recently launched a global research initiative to investigate wildlife behaviour before, during and after COVID-19 lockdown. Specifically, the team is using data collected by so-called “bio-loggers” — miniature animal-attached tracking devices that record detailed information about an animal’s movements and activity patterns. The scientific insights gained during this devastating crisis will allow us to develop innovative strategies for sharing space on this increasingly crowded planet, with benefits for both wildlife and humans.

We hope that to see you on Tuesday at the online event.
With best wishes

Robert Fleming
Director of Development

*Please note you can join a Teams event, whether or not you have a Teams account.