Edward Osborne Wilson is an American biologist and taxonomist who is known for creating the biophilia hypothesis. This hypothesis states that humans have resided and depended on nature until recently. Wilson believes that it is necessary for humans to interact with other forms of life, such as animals and plants. Research has been done that says that both humans and other animals species show similar symptoms when removed from nature such as aggression and social/psychological breakdown.   

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Humans and animals are constantly interacting with one another and influencing each other's environments. The boneyard is not excluded from this. When interviewing people at the boneyard, one of our questions was "how do you interact with the animals?" One student on the engineering quad said that he “tries to feed them.” Others mentioned how they like to photograph, watch, draw, or otherwise interact with them. Interaction with animals is proven to raise dopamine levels and improve mood, similarly to the effects of being outdoors in green space.

 

Some people, however, are not allowed to interact with the animals, such as workers. We interviewed a person mowing the grass along Second street basin and a general maintenance worker, both who said it was against state law to interact with animals while on duty. Feeding the animals can also be unhealthy, because it causes them to become reliant on the food humans give them and have a diet solely based off of carbohydrates. Despite these setbacks, the Boneyard provides an opportunity for humans and animals to interact, just like Wilson says is a natural instinct. This interaction is especially unique for a comminity in a highly urbanized region, especially a college campus.