The Humans Are Back
Warning sign along TransCanada Highway.
Images and text by Vanessa Garrison.
To use these images and view more from this story, please visit our Wildlife and Highways collection on the We Animals Archive.
No one has warned them restrictions are lifting. No one has warned them that humans are coming back.
I was two days into my ill-timed relocation across the country and I had seen more wildlife than I had during the entirety of my two-and-a-half-month road-trip across Canada 10 years ago. At first I thought I was just lucky, spotting four moose and a lynx before even leaving Ontario. But when the pattern continued, I realized it was much more than that.
Pronghorns next to the TransCanada Highway in Saskatchewan during Phase 1 of the lifting of the Covid-19 restrictions in Canada.
While we have been hunkering down hiding from the virus, other animals have had their land back. The noise and danger of the human world has receded and these animals have extended their range. Noticeably less cautious, they are exploring terrain that has long been the realm of humans and their deadly machines.
But no one has told them that the COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifting. No one has warned them that humans are coming back. By the time I reached the West Coast, the images on my memory card tell of the consequences when we too quickly forget that we share this world with animals.
We may not be able to warn the animals, but we can warn each other. Spread the word, be more aware, slow down and flash your lights, or use your hazards to alert other drivers. Let’s all do what we can to minimize the consequences.
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Images and text by Vanessa Garrison.
To use these images and view more from this story, please visit our Wildlife and Highways collection on the We Animals Archive.
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