Systemic Racism Affects Wildlife, Too: A Q&A With an Urban Ecologist

This article appeared in the March/April 2021 issue of Discover as "In the Company of Coyotes." Support our science journalism by becoming a subscriber.

What makes the country mouse different from the city mouse? Christopher Schell is a wildlife ecologist who has been curious about this dynamic his entire career. Though he specializes in coyotes instead of mice, the question remains the same. Schell, an assistant professor at the University of Washington Tacoma, is also part of a growing roster of scientists exploring how structural racism, segregation and poverty play a role in shaping the behavior of urban wildlife.

Though this aspect of urban ecology is still in its infancy, Schell is taking an interdisciplinary approach to better understand the future of ecosystems in cities — all while encouraging more scientists of color to join the field.

I’m from Los Angeles, and seeing coyotes in the street — raccoons as ...