In a world increasingly shaped by human presence, it’s easy to forget that some corners of the planet still belong to the wild. Scattered across oceans, forests, and remote islands are rare places where animals far outnumber people—sometimes by the millions. These habitats, largely untouched or carefully protected, offer a glimpse of what Earth looks like when nature takes the lead. From seas of migrating crabs and islands overrun with snakes to villages watched over by mischievous monkeys, these destinations remind us that we’re not always the dominant species. Here are seven remarkable places where animals truly outnumber humans.
Off the coast of Brazil lies Ilha da Queimada Grande, better known as Snake Island. And as scary and dangerous as it sounds the place is off limits for humans.This 100-acre island is home to thousands of venomous golden lancehead pit vipers, a species found nowhere else in the world. Estimates suggest there are between 2,000 and 4,000 snakes on the island.
The snakes are famous for their powerful venom, which can paralyze and kill birds almost instantly. While their bite is dangerous to humans, biologists say the snakes are not aggressive toward people. In fact, the island is completely off-limits to civilians. Only scientists with special permits are allowed to visit, both to study the snakes and to protect them from illegal hunters who target them for the exotic pet trade. Snake Island isn’t the only place where humans watch snakes in fascination. Still, Snake Island stands apart. With its dense snake population and total ban on human settlement.
On Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, the red crabs rule the land. There are more than 100 million red crabs living here — far outnumbering the island’s small human population of about 1,500. Each year, the crabs make a spectacular journey from the forest to the ocean to breed. This mass migration usually takes place between October and December, timed with the start of the wet season and the new moon. Roads are often closed as millions of crabs cross, and the island even has special “crab overpasses” to help them move safely.
However, unusually dry weather delayed the migration until February—the latest it has been recorded in a long time. With rainfall at only half the normal level, the island was left dry and dusty, leaving the crabs waiting for the right conditions. The migration works like this: males and females travel to the ocean, where they mate. The females stay near the shore in burrows to hatch their eggs, while the males return inland. This natural cycle repeats every year, turning the island red with life.
Just off the coast of Puerto Rico lies Cayo Santiago, also known as Monkey Island. This tiny 38-acre island is home to about 2,000 rhesus macaques, a species of monkey originally from Asia. No humans live there permanently — only researchers are allowed to visit.
The monkeys were first brought to the island in 1938 for research. Hundreds of macaques from India were shipped in as part of a project by Columbia University and the University of Puerto Rico. The goal was to create a disease-free breeding colony for studying tropical diseases. Since then, the population has grown, and the island has become one of the world’s most important primate research stations.
Life on Monkey Island is completely controlled by the macaques. They roam freely, eating the island’s plants, while researchers provide extra water and food at feeding stations. In 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated the island, destroying most of its vegetation. Researchers had to adapt, building cages where they could eat and rest without being harassed by monkeys. Today, strict rules prevent tourists from entering — only university-approved scientists can set foot on Monkey Island.
Off the coast of Japan’s Ehime Prefecture lies Aoshima, nicknamed Cat Island. Here, cats outnumber humans by a wide margin. Once brought to the island in the early 20th century to deal with a rodent problem, the cats thrived. Their population eventually grew to around 150, while the number of human residents declined.
Today, only about four people live on Aoshima, while more than 80 cats still roam freely. This makes the island a paradise for cat lovers, where being human means you’re in the minority. Visitors arriving by ferry are often greeted by groups of curious cats waiting along the harbor.
The island was once a busy fishing village, but like many rural areas of Japan, its human population has slowly dwindled. The cats, however, stayed and multiplied, turning Aoshima into a unique destination. In 2018, sterilization programs were introduced to control the numbers, so the feline population is now slowly decreasing.
For years, people have joked that New Zealand has more sheep than people—and for a long time, it was true. Back in the 1980s, the country had around 70 million sheep, while the human population was much smaller. That meant every person could, in theory, have a flock of 22 sheep. But today, the picture looks very different. By 2024, sheep numbers had fallen to about 25 million, compared with a little over 5 million people. This means the ratio of sheep to humans has dropped below five to one, the lowest level since records began in the 1850s.
So, why the big change? Farming patterns have shifted. Many farmers moved away from sheep and into dairy or forestry, which make more money. At the same time, wool prices have crashed. Between 2013 and 2021, the price of New Zealand wool almost halved, and during the pandemic, prices dropped so low that farmers could barely cover the cost of shearing.
Another reason is forestry. More sheep farms are being sold and converted into forests because planting trees allows landowners to earn money by selling carbon offsets. A report in 2022 found that since 2017, around 175,000 hectares of sheep and beef farms were sold for forestry, and nearly 40% of those sales were for carbon-only farming. Even with these changes, New Zealand still has a higher sheep-to-person ratio
Assateague Island, located off the coasts of Maryland and Virginia, is famous for its wild horses. Local legends say the animals are survivors of a shipwreck, but historians believe they were likely brought to the island in the 17th century. Farmers may have moved their horses there to avoid fencing laws and livestock taxes. Over time, the animals became feral, adapting to life without human care.
According to a 2024 census, about 73 horses live on Assateague Island, divided into two herds—one on the Maryland side and one on the Virginia side. Although no one lives year-round on the island, thousands of tourists visit every year just to see these tough and beautiful horses in their natural habitat.
The herds are managed differently on each side of the state line. In Maryland, the National Park Service looks after the horses, while in Virginia, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company manages the herd under a special permit. To protect the environment, the Virginia herd is kept at around 150 adult horses. These are the famous “Chincoteague ponies.” Every July, the Virginia herd becomes the center of a unique tradition called Pony Penning.
The Hawaiian island of Kauai has an unusual claim to fame—chickens outnumber people by a huge margin. While about 73,000 people live on the island, there are an estimated 450,000 chickens, making it nearly six chickens for every resident. These birds roam everywhere—from backyards and parking lots to resorts and beaches.
How did so many chickens end up here? Locals and scientists have a couple of explanations. Some say two big hurricanes in the 1980s and 1990s destroyed chicken coops, setting the birds free. Others believe they are descendants of the wild Red Junglefowl brought by Polynesian settlers centuries ago. Either way, the population exploded and chickens are now a permanent part of life on Kauai.
Interestingly, the feral kauai chickens aren’t usually eaten. Locals say the meat is tough and the eggs aren’t popular. Instead, they’re valued for pest control, as they eat bugs like cockroaches and centipedes. Some are even used for cockfighting, though many residents simply see them as part of the island’s identity. In fact, chickens have become a symbol of Kauai, appearing on postcards, T-shirts, and souvenirs.
[Rh/VP]
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