Going Wild

This little piece comes to us courtesy of the Times. No, not the New York Times, the real Times - the one from London:

Many people have noticed that the population of Europe has started to drop, the result of many different causes (family limitation, economic pressures, urbanization, etc.). Now, the creatures that once owned Europe up until the 18th Century have started to drift westward, reclaiming what humans have abandoned.

Wolves, bears and other wild animals have started sneaking into deserted villages and former agricultural lands left fallow by the flight of people to the cities. And these new arrivals have made no bones about the fact that they're here.

Boars have been spotted savoring Berliners' table scraps, Austrian schoolchildren and bears have had mutually surprising encounters, and at least two wolf packs have started up in eastern Germany. The wolves have been hunting deer, thankfully.

This is the opposite of what we've seen in America, where encroachment on former wild spaces have resulted in animals adapting to life in towns and cities.

It could be a harbinger of Things to Come.