Data and code from: Wildlife temporal behaviors in response to human activity changes during and following COVID-19 park closures

With urbanization reducing the amount of available wildlife habitat and
outdoor recreation increasing the human activity within wildlife habitats,
it is important to understand the effects of human activity on animal
behavior. This study examined how the reduction in human presence in urban
parks in Gainesville, Florida affected the temporal behaviors of medium-
and large-bodied mammals and ground birds. Camera-trap surveys were
conducted during (2020) and following (2023) the closure of urban parks
that are typically open to human recreation due to Coronavirus 2019
(COVID-19), with the shutdown providing a unique opportunity to study
wildlife under reduced human activity. We detected biologically
significant shifts in activity patterns that were consistent with
avoidance of increased presence of predators (bobcat, coyote, fox) and
with avoidance of human activity (white-tailed deer) when the parks were
re-opened. Temporal behavior pattern shifts can have significant effects
on foraging/hunting, reproduction, and socialization as time of day is an
important aspect to an animal’s niche and can ultimately affect population
dynamics at a species and community level. These data may inform
regulations on public recreation and wildlife population management within
urban parks and the Florida Wildlife Corridor—the state’s best effort to
offset the negative impacts of increasing population and development.