We are largely ignorant about the mechanisms that support coexistence in thousands of non-Western cities for hundreds of species living in close contact with humans. For instance, the famous Indian tolerance for facultative scavengers is often linked with rituals supported by mythological beliefs that involve ritual feeding of cows, dogs, monkeys, kites, etc. However, perspectives and approaches to public health that can encompass the non-western realities are poorly developed due to limited knowledge of tropical urban ecology. This webinar will focus on public health concerns due to lifeworlds that interact with people on a daily basis. By studying their variable distribution and abundance and behaviour, at PAWS-Web, we are addressing the conundrums of sharing living spaces with growing waste that supports opportunistic animals. We use experimental approaches to understand how species-specific behavioural strategies enable successful urban colonisation, while animals secure resources in human-dominated spaces. Animal responses mediated by human factors have adaptive benefits and generate potential conflicts in the form of physical harm, loss of property, and zoonotic diseases like rabies, bird flu, and swine flu.

Dr Nishant Kumar is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Wildlife Institute of India and Visiting Fellow at the Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford.

Professor Greger Larson is a Professor at School of Archaeology, University of Oxford and Director of the Palaeogenomics & Bio Archaeology Research Network (Palaeo Barn).

To join via YouTube: youtu.be/Znx7OaogdTE