March 10, 2025
Urban corridors have turned into “battlegrounds”. Citizens, dogs, dog lovers, and dog haters are locked in a deadly cycle of violence. In retaliation, citizens have resorted to extreme measures, leading to indiscriminate culling of dogs. Dog lovers, in their bid to protect their canine friends, clash with dog haters/bit victims, escalating the conflict further 3–5.
Despite the rich biodiversity in tropical cities, our understanding of the complex dynamics between humans and animals in these changing urban landscapes remains limited 6,7. In this not-so-distant future, the bustling tropical cities are on the brink of a social-ecological crisis 8–11. The coexistence of humans and animals, once a convivial dance, has spiralled into a chaotic whirlwind of conflicts 12,13. This is just the extension of frequent reports of conflicts from the early 21st century, when dogs, driven by survival instincts, attacked the vulnerable – children and the elderly 4,14; macaques captured and housed in urban sanctuaries 9.
If you are reading it in 2025, this may appear like a dystopian scenario that underscores the urgency of addressing human-animal conflicts in changing landscapes. There was some hint from researchers that misplaced cultural practices, deeply rooted in our Eastern societies, often contribute to human-animal conflicts. This warrants a serious re-evaluation of our eco-literacy levels. In the past, folk biological practices allowed humans to address many such conflicts in relatively rural systems. However, with the rapid urbanisation and changing socio-cultural dynamics, existing practices of technologically gentrifying cities are not so smart; you would realise in 5 -10 years. There is a pressing need for scientific evaluations that reassess these traditional practices that once ensured coexistence and progress by leveraging scavenging services of opportunistic animals 2,15.
Trans-disciplinary scientific research is a beacon of hope in this direction16. Can we imagine researchers in your time-period building “the Science of Tropical Cities”, exploring innovative teaching methodologies 15 tailored to the unique developmental challenges in tropical regions 14? Such research, guided by the One Health approach, will unravel the complex links between animal populations and behavioural ecology 17–19, disease pathways, and public health 20–23. In the 2030s we need you to be casting a revealing light on the age-old cultural practices that have long celebrated the care and nourishment of our non-human companions 24.
Fostering human-animal coexistence in tropical cities is not just about scientific or technological discourse 25,26, but also about understanding and respecting the intricate web of life that binds us all 13,27. In this future, coexistence is not just about living together. It is about breaking the cycle of violence, about understanding each other, about staying the course 2,12.
It is a future where the following poetry of coexistence gives way to the prose of conflict:
In the heart of many tropical cities, where the concrete meets the sky 1,
Quadrupeds (ground-dwelling) meet bipeds (humans), in a dance to comply.
A constant cognitive mutualism, familiar and yet new,
With barks, whines, and tail wags, their signals are true28.
Negotiating streets, amidst the urban beat,
A dance of coexistence, where different life worlds meet.
For what dogs or coyotes consider safe, humans may not agree,
Yet they continue to negotiate, in the city, as we see.
‘Tailed Simians’ in their realm, brachiate with grace29,
From branch to branch, they find their limited space.
Meeting humans in the streets, when safety/food is assured,
Yet the dynamic entity of streets often brings discord 30.
And then there are the avian scavengers, soaring high and free,
Over unfamiliar turfs, as far as their eye can see.
Hostilities arise, but only for a time so brief12,
When parent-birds are tied to nests, intrusion brings grief 19.
Birds negotiate with the winds, in the tropical city’s core,
Finding conducive spaces, forever exploring more31.
This is the code of coexistence, a lesson to be learned,
In the heart of the city, where many ‘lifetables’ are turned.
From ground dwellers to arboreal, to aerial lifestyles wide,
The spectrum of human-animal negotiations, side by side.
It is a dance of life, a symphony bitter yet sweet,
In the urban jungle, where different life worlds meet.
Yet, in this dance, there’s a tropical rhythm, a beat,
That is shaped by the Eastern religions, cultures, and the streets2.
Known to prevent indiscriminate hurt/culling, retaliations so wide,
When some animal individuals become a threat to urban pride.
This cultural essence of coexistence, this cognitive dissonance32,
Potentially allows Indians to protect their biodiversity with such resonance.
It is not always about wisdom, not always about scientific discourse,
But about living together, about coexistence, about staying the course.
But there is a modern prevalence, a patronising surplus tone,
Towards non-human city dwellers, the opportunistic ones who’ve grown.
Ritually fed by people, a practice so wide,
Might not be justified, as it is a dangerous ride.
Fear of conflicts, of diseases that spread,
This affects the subalterns, who are relatively more exposed to threats.
Thus, warranting scientific evaluations, a need to reassess,
The traditional practices that ensured coexistence and progress.
32. Anderson, J. L. Stone‐age minds at work on 21st century science: how cognitive psychology can inform conservation biology. Conservation in Practice 2, 18–27 (2001).
