Night of the Living Synanthropes

Cities are built as human habitats, but of course, we’re not the only animals living in them. Among the many species alongside us are those known as synanthropes—from the Greek syn, “with,” and anthropos, “human”—who have adapted to live in close proximity to us. We mostly view them as pests: pigeons, raccoons, and rats. Yet appreciating their survival in our built environment can in turn reveal our impact on ecology, and how what we construct for ourselves—whether it be a landscape or convenient trash cans—can be of vital importance to them.

On an August evening in Manhattan, after a rain that left the sidewalks gleaming, I was one of about 20 people who departed in staggered groups from the southeast corner of Central Park and entered the darkness of its paths. Back in the 19th century, the park’s trees were meticulously planted, its glacial rocks blasted to smooth lawns, and its lake created where once there was a swamp. Although designers Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux aimed to bring the pastoral into New York City for the improvement of human life, Central Park is now a refuge for wildlife, too.