[nat sound: animals on campus]
Racoons, squirrels, and bunnies, oh my! Northwestern students have noticed the overwhelming amount of animals on campus, as well as each animals’ individual quirks. Some live in the trash cans outside dorms on campus, while others can be found roaming the grassy plain of Deering Meadow. Regardless of where they are, these animals have made their presence known.
Some students, like Medill sophomore Amanda Oliver, have their own theories on where these animals came from.
[Amanda Oliver] “ I am very convinced that all of the bunnies on campus are cameras. Like, they don’t, they are not normal. Like, every time that I see them, they just stare. They don’t blink and they just glare at you. I should not be seeing as many bunnies as I am. And they just sit there, and they just stare at you. With their black, unblinking eyes every time I walk on this campus, and it’s just not okay. It’s just simply not okay. I’m like, who is watching me? Who is getting this feed of me every time?”
Bunnies aren’t the only critters that have made their way onto Northwestern’s campus. Raccoons and squirrels are also commonly spotted.
Recently, there have been sightings of an abnormally large raccoon outside of East and West Fairchild, two adjacent dorms on south campus, as well as other south campus dorms like Allison and Willard. Freshman Jack Ververis is familiar with at least one of these furry creatures.
[Jack Ververis] “I know a lot of times outside Willard, there is a raccoon that likes to hide in the trash cans and recycling bins. It’s probably because of the snacks by Southwest because of all the food waste that goes there.
That’s also the most rat populated spot in all of Evanston, is the intersection outside Willard. Cursed with that knowledge. But, um, you see these raccoons and rats around a lot of those places- places where there’s a big trash buildup.”
Another common sentiment amongst students is how close animals get to them. Unlike many other places where animals tend to run away when in close proximity to students, Northwestern students like junior Taylor Shaw have noticed that that is not the case for this campus.
[Taylor Shaw] “The squirrels really love getting close to me this year, I don’t know what’s up with that. There have been so many times where I’ll be, like, sitting outside or studying or something and a squirrel will just randomly come up to me and I, like, don’t know what to do.”
Sophomore Tatum Baldwin has also noted a higher amount of wildlife this school year, compared to others.
[Tatum Baldwin] “I’ve also seen a surprising number of rats this year. I don’t remember seeing any last year, but I’ve seen, like, three rustling in front of me one time, and there was one mouse that, like, ran in front of me by the crosswalk, by, uh, the arch, and that was very concerning, because there was, like, a foot in front of me, and it just, like ran across”
Do these animals pose any real threat to students? Well, that depends on who you ask. Earlier this year, a student at Marist college in New York was attacked by a coyote while on campus. According to FOX News, officials are urging students to stay far away from any wild animals seen on campus. Additionally, there have been reports of racoon attacks at UT Austin and squirrel attacks at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
But, while most of the animals on Northwestern’s campus are likely harmless, one in particular has students a little worried.
[Tatum] “ I feel like this year there’s been a lot more wildlife that I’ve seen roaming around, especially at night. I think in the past week or so I’ve seen skunks two or three times, which is very unusual because I think last year in total I saw two or three, so just seeing so many in such a short amount of time is very strange.”
But is the presence of these animals a problem overall? According to BBC Earth, seeing wildlife can provide important mental health benefits. Neuroscientist Olav Krigolson found that, “our brains reward us when looking at a cute picture of an animal, as it helps to boost our mood and concentrate better.” Therefore, seeing cute animals on campus can’t be all bad, right?
[Jack] “I think with most of the animals, like birds or bunnies, people are happy to see them. People think of them as cute, beautiful wildlife. I think though, even with some of the other animals, like raccoons or rats, even if people maybe are a little grossed out by them, I think it’s still important that we appreciate them. I can’t imagine any way that Northwestern wouldn’t have those animals beyond, like, trapping and removal. And I think that would be such a huge effort. I think Northwestern exists alongside the animals and you can’t really separate the two.”
For WNUR News, I’m Jessica Watts.
