Brussels is home to 1.25 million people but also to an abundance of wildlife. Improved habitats mean more animals are settling here, but living in such close quarters with humans isn't without its problems - for both.
From rats scurrying around parks to unruly pigeons plaguing public spaces, (unwelcome) animals can be spotted in Brussels every day. However, the region is home to rare animals, too.
"A huge number of animal species lives in Brussels," Willy Van de Velde, a forest ranger for Brussels Environment, told The Brussels Times while walking through the Sonian Forest, or what he calls "his office".
"Birds are the most common species, but there are also many mammals." To date, 48 mammal species have been counted in Brussels, a high species richness, remarkable for such an urban area. Most enjoy legal protection. "In my 20 years in the business, the number of animals in the region has risen, and species that have been absent for decades have returned."
This is the result of improved habitats in forests and parks, investment in green corridors between parks and forests and the banning of pesticides in public spaces, improving vegetation and the presence of insects.
Small mammals
One such animal, present in Brussels for 40 years, is the fox. Initially, foxes appeared mainly in communes such as Auderghem, Watermael-Boisfort and Uccle, but they re-adapted to the urban environment and lost their shyness.
Credit: Willy Van de Velde
"Now, foxes can be found everywhere, even around the Grand Place." Most foxes in Brussels are healthy and non-aggressive. The fox's presence can be detected by their droppings, often on an elevated location.
Other small animals include weasels, stone martens, acorn mice, rabbits and hares, moles, hedgehogs and two types of squirrels - whose population has risen since being threatened with extinction in the 1960s. While mostly sighted in the Sonian Forest, they do appear in wooded areas of parks, too.
Credit: Willy Van de Velde
The second largest group of mammals, the bat, is perhaps the most misunderstood. Many associate bats with horror films, but to foresters like Willy, they are miracles of nature.
Credit: Willy Van de Velde
Of the 24 species in Belgium, 20 can be spotted in Brussels. However, you should avoid touching bats, as some carry rabies.
Bigger beasts
Brussels is also home to two larger animals, one being roe deer, of which there are around 100. Deer are emblematic animals of the Sonian forest but, again, have been spotted further afield, on Uccle's Engeland Plateau, in the Laerbeek Woods, on the border between Anderlecht and Dilbeek.
"The most surprising appearance made by a deer was in 2010. The police called in a roe deer sighting on the Parvis de Saint-Gilles, almost 4 kilometres from the Bois de la Cambre. Maybe he heard the bars were good," Willy laughed.
A boar trail can be easily recognised: it completely digs up the ground with its groin to find its food, which is why it plays an important part in the ecosystem. Credit: TBT
The roe deer was the largest wild mammal in Brussels until the return of the wild boar in 2006, after an almost 100-year absence. The population of boar – one of Europe's largest wild mammals – is estimated at 15 to 30 individuals.
Most avoid humans and only come out at night, but one was spotted in Parc de Woluwe in April. "There was quite an uproar. Many people drew the line here and cried the city is human territory," Willy said. "Indeed, a wild boar in a city is not without danger, but there are ways of dealing with it."
Sharing the space
Nowhere is it more challenging to strike a balance between providing space for people and animals than in a city like Brussels. "We have to take into account both human and animal safety," Willy explained.
Smooth cohabitation depends largely on human behaviour: calculating the risks (a wild boar with young could be dangerous) and sticking to rules (staying on the paths and keeping dogs on leads or nearby) can help ensure the safety of people and their pets, and minimise the number of wild animal deaths.
Beavers chop down trees with their teeth for food and to build dams and lodges. Credit: TBT
Some people love animals so much that they want to protect them – but not always in the right way. "People who feed animals pose a real problem," Willy said. They tend to give unsuitable food, which can harm animals and stop them from looking for healthier nourishment.
Education and raising awareness are essential to avoid such disasters. "But this is complicated because people often fail to see the impact on a global scale," he said. "People also get emotional: they think that if they don't do something, animals won't stand a chance. But in most cases, animals do very well to survive in Brussels."
Return of the beaver
The installation of "green tunnels" and eco viaducts running under and over railways or motorways has helped promote safe movement. "They work very well. We put up cameras and saw the response was immediate."
Beavers chop down trees with their teeth for food and to build dams and lodges. Credit: TBT
A sign that wildlife is moving between Belgian regions is the return of the beaver for the first time since the 19th century. One has taken up residence on the banks of the uncovered Senne, near the Docks Bruxsel shopping centre. Tracks of another have been spotted by the nature reserve Étangs des Enfants Noyés.
"This means beavers are stopping and settling down here," Willy said. "In my job, there is a lot of bad news and animals suffering. But sightings of a species that has been extinct for so many years make me happy to do my job. It is extraordinary. For me, it's time to get away from this idea that there is a place for man and a place for nature. We must learn to live together."
