The beavers are back: animals return to Stockholm after almost a century

City links: An ambitious urban photography project in Toronto, beavers make a comeback in the Swedish capital, and the Parisians who are suing City Hall over dirty streets, all feature in a roundup of this week’s best city stories

Athlyn Cathcart-Keays

Friday 22 April 201613.25 BSTLast modified on Friday 22 April 201613.28 BST

This week’s best city stories takes us from barbershops in Philadelphia where a programme is bridging the gap between black men and the polling booths, to the grimy streets of Paris, where residents are fed up of being treated like the underdogs and are suing the state. Share your thoughts about these city stories – and any others you’ve seen – in the comments below.

As cities expand and encroach on the surrounding countryside, animals are forced to adapt to this rampant urbanisation, while urban dwellers must also learn how to life – and sometimes brush shoulders with their wild neighbours.

After disappearing completely from Stockholm less than a century ago due to hunting, the Eurasian beaver has returned to the city thanks to a repopulation drive that took place in central Sweden in the 1920s. Today, the rodent has finally made its way back to the bustling capital, enamouring local residents with their goofy teeth, while wreaking havoc for park wardens who are concerned that their constant gnawing on urban trees could pose a safety risk in a city with so much green space.

Meanwhile in Los Angeles, the endangered El Segundo blue butterfly feels right at home next to the roaring jet engines of Boeing-777s at LAX, while up in the Hollywood Hills, mountain lions roam around tourists without being spotted. Read National Geographic’s Wild Cities features this week.

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