health
'Emotional and horrific': volunteers 'live' as Somerset animals to study wildlife risks
People trained to experience world as otters, salmon and other River Tone creatures for pioneering research
TL;DR
- A research study trained 18 volunteers to embody wild animals like otters, salmon, and kestrels for six weeks.
- The goal was to better document the risks wild animals face in human-dominated landscapes by experiencing their "umwelts."
- Participants focused on single key senses and described their experiences without interpretation, aiming to "de-center" human understanding.
- Testimonies highlighted the disorientation caused by human infrastructure like trains and the ubiquity of dogs as significant stressors.
- The study revealed the emotional impact of experiencing the world from an animal's perspective, describing it as "personal, so emotional and so horrific."