Loosely, the neologism
anthropause means a worldwide drop in contemporary human activity, particularly travel, which itself has apparently changed the behavior of a vast range of beasts, birds and fish.
In response to an inquiry about that phenomenon and phrase â coined just last June in the journal
Nature Ecology & Evolution â Dan Zarlenga, media specialist with MDCâs St. Louis Regional Office, briefly surveyed the departmentâs wildlife and resource science staff.
âWe havenât done any focused research on the anthropause phenomenon,â Zarlenga reports, âbut some of our staff did offer a few ideas, especially our state ornithologist regarding birdersâ response to the pandemic in 2020.â