In a new four part series, naturalist Iolo Williams looks at the wild side of town as he travels around Wales to understand why we’re seeing more wildlife moving in to our towns today and how they’ve successfully adapted to an urban environment. For birds and animals, towns are full of opportunities – great places to feed, find a mate, raise their young and keep safe and warm.
From Cardiff to Conwy, Iolo sets out to meet those who have welcomed animals into their towns and neighbourhoods and show us why we should pay more attention to the incredible array of life on our doorstep.
It’s spring time in the first episode and Iolo visits Swansea city centre to investigate how a small colony of rats has set up home in the heart of the city. Of all wildlife, they’ve adapted to live alongside us better than any other wild animal. He also travels to Llanberis to see some herons who have settled into the urban environment and have been coming to a local’s garden for their daily diet of junk food for five years.
Iolo also visits an allotment in Fairwater, Cardiff where there have been regular sightings of a family of urban foxes. He stays around the allotment throughout the night to get a glimpse of the foxes as they come out to feed on leftovers in the allotment. The allotment is a really good place for them, despite being surrounded by houses, they’re never disturbed at night and cars are not a threat. There’s plenty of food to feast on throughout the allotment from fruit and veg to mice and voles – it’s a perfect place to raise a family for the urban foxes.
