Wildlife struggles to survive amidst the urbanization and destruction of their habitat.
Some have learned to adapt and live among us in these urbanized cities however, it is not the
best quality of life. Their lives are at constant risk from being involved in vehicular accidents,
poaching, and constant poisoning of their habitats by humans. Those unable to live among us in
our urbanized cities, flee to areas that have yet to be taken over, usually mountains. Yet even in
these mountains, their quality of life is also affected. Urbanization creates areas of isolated
wilderness islands, where natural habitats are surrounded by urban cities, trapping wildlife into
very limited land. Due to this, they cannot leave without risking their lives, yet are limited in
resources. Here in Burbank, we have the Verdugo Mountains, and close by are also the
Hollywood Hills. These two are examples of these wilderness islands that imprison wildlife in a
wall of cities. We must be more aware and considerate of our wildlife so that we can live
alongside them, without hindering their survival.
This AR experience allows the users to visit urban locations and view how wildlife once
occupied the area in a fun and interactive way. The users are directed to a vista where they will
find the footprints of the location’s respective animal. Standing on these footprints, the user
scans the QR code and will be taken into an AR experience. Here, they can meet the animals
virtually as an animated diorama of the animals and their natural habitats appear, overlaying on
top of the real world. The users can interact with the animals by tapping on them to make them
move or make noise. A brief educational overview of the animal and their habitat as well as how
they are affected by urbanization in the area will be provided as well. At the end of the
experience, the users will be provided with more educational sources to learn more about the
local fauna.
