(STUDY FINDS) — CLINTON, N.Y. — When one stops to consider life in a big city, the local wildlife isn’t typically one of the first topics that come to mind. Sure, most cities are home to millions of birds, cats, rodents, and others, but for most residents these animals tend to blend into the background and go unnoticed. All of these urban-living animals have to find their food somewhere, and most end up eating up the leftover scraps and food bits tossed out by humans — which begs the question: how is a diet of almost entirely human food affecting these animals and their health?
A new study conducted by researchers at Hamilton College set out to answer that question, and found that urban crows are displaying much higher blood cholesterol levels than their rural counterparts. Researchers theorize this discrepancy is due to urban crows regularly eating discarded, processed human food, such as fast-food cheeseburgers.
