Wild Animals Exploring Uncharted Territory as Coronavirus Grips the Planet
With most of the world on lockdown, wild animals in cities amid COVID-19 crisis have been spotted in some of the world’s largest urban areas. Humans are curled up inside their houses and wild animals are exploring the uncharted territories within the isolated cities.
Usually, wild animals avoid humans and their settlements. But as the coronavirus crisis changes the rhythms of urban life, there are some signs that animals, especially the animals that lurk in the periphery of big cities and suburbs, are feeling emboldened to explore.
# Sika deer in Japan have left their familiar habitat and are walking around the isolated city streets.
In streets of Japan, Italy and Thailand the sighting of animals such as deer, wild boars, sheep, horses and monkeys were reported.
Planet Earth really needed a break. #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/HFig7MwVEL
— Maheen Khan (@Maheen_Khan110) March 20, 2020
# Animals have been coming out on roads in large numbers, entering the towns and the cities which they usually avoided prior to the lockdown. Ducks are taking strolls down Las Vegas Blvd with their ducklings.
# Pictures and videos showing civet cats, deer herds, elephants, Kashmiri goats and other animals taking the streets in different parts of the world had been circulating on social media for a long time now.
Spotted Malabar civet… A critically endangered mammal not seen until 1990 resurfaces for the first time in India during lockdown. pic.twitter.com/JX18O9r4zn
— Nature & Animals ? (@AnimalsWorId) March 27, 2020
# With no human visitors, a pride of lions took to an empty road in the popular Kruger National Park to nap.
# Mountain goats roam the streets of LLandudno on March 31, 2020 in Llandudno, Wales. The goats normally live on the rocky Great Orme but are occasional visitors to the seaside town, but the herd was drawn this time by the lack of people and tourists due to the COVID-19 outbreak and quarantine measures.
# Ducks on Place Colette, in Paris, where the Comédie Française is located, on April 2, 2020.
# A wild deer, from a herd used to mingle with and be fed by the local population, roams in a deserted street during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in the port city of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka on March 31, 2020.
Residents of a London suburb enjoy the company of a herd of deer pic.twitter.com/vCJIXT2qmR
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 7, 2020
# Wild boar have descended from the hills around Barcelona.
this happened tonight in my city, wild boars and their babies were in town because we are in quarantine and everyone was at home. nature taking what belongs to them #coronavirus #italy @GiuseppeConteIT il metro di distanza non lo stanno rispettando e non hanno nemmeno la maschera pic.twitter.com/8tt0QeU4eW
— amelia ? (@taylorswifh_) March 12, 2020
# Deer are roaming around the deserted metro stations of Nara, Japan.
Less tourists in Nara = less people feeding the deer in the parks ?? Now they’re venturing out into the city eating flowers and plants, per Fuji TV #coronavirus#新型コロナウイルス の影響で海外観光客の減少が続く奈良公園で、鹿せんべいをもらえなくなってしまったシカちゃん達 ? pic.twitter.com/yUFWJ4S9sj
— Kurumi Mori (@rumireports) March 6, 2020
# Raccoons were spotted on the beach in an emptied San Felipe, Panama.
Hundreds of dolphins playing in marine drive in mumbai, peacocks playing outside KBR park and deers resting on Coimbatore roads. Pl remember we share this planet with them pic.twitter.com/CEzGIEdCXP
— PURIJAGAN (@purijagan) March 24, 2020
Also Read: Nature is Healing as Coronavirus Lockdowns Clear Skies and Streets
# Gangs of wild turkeys have been strutting the streets of Oakland, California, while a puma turned up in the centre of the Chilean capital Santiago, which is under curfew.
Just keep counting the cubs..
Lovely sight to so many in one go?? pic.twitter.com/SPo4HKokv9— Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) April 9, 2020
Spotted on the playground at the elementary school next door, which has been closed for several days … wild turkeys! That’s a first. #coronavirus #westoakland pic.twitter.com/tGA4y1l09c
— Charlotte Simmonds (@CharSimmonds) March 20, 2020
# While sightings of dolphins in Venice’s canals turned out to be fanciful, they have been popping up in ports elsewhere in the Mediterranean.
Here’s an unexpected side effect of the pandemic – the water’s flowing through the canals of Venice is clear for the first time in forever. The fish are visible, the swans returned. pic.twitter.com/2egMGhJs7f
— Kaveri ?? (@ikaveri) March 16, 2020
# Amidst coronavirus lockdown, birds are taking a sunbath in the deserted Piazza del Duomo in Milan.
# Indian social media has gone wild about footage of a stag scampering through Dehradun, the capital of the northern state of Uttarakhand.
Elephant surveys it’s lost kingdom at Haridwar ??
It is a regular feature as the town shares its boundary with Rajaji National Park.
Credit in the video. pic.twitter.com/QDcwjznz7s— Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) April 2, 2020
# A rare sight. Indian Bison wandering in the middle of a market.
Indian Bison( the gaur) goes for a street walk?
The largest extant Bovine, is native to South & SE Asia. Can be very aggressive. Rare to see in markets? pic.twitter.com/z4AYNpeUQt— Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) March 26, 2020
# A rhinoceros strolling through the urban area and having fun chasing after people.
So this #rhino thought to take things in his own hand. Went for an inspection. Btw rhino venturing out from forest happens a lot, even without lockdown. Forward. pic.twitter.com/Ck1sft3Emb
— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) April 6, 2020
# In Munnar region of Idukki district elephants were seen strolling in the streets and even entering residential areas.
Kerala: An elephant walks on the empty streets in Munnar amid the #CoronavirusLockdown. (24.04.2020) pic.twitter.com/QZbr7kjzu9
— ANI (@ANI) April 24, 2020
# Instances of animals wandering on Indian city streets have become quite common since the coronavirus lockdown.
This is unbelievable. Nilgai takes over #Noida streets. Not bad a video to watch during #Lockdown21. ❤️
(Video via #WhatsApp) pic.twitter.com/IfHJIQfPgS— Ananya Bhattacharya (@ananya116) March 27, 2020
A deer walks across a pedestrian crossing in Nara, Japan, on 19 March. Despite the town’s tourism decline, these wild animals are doing just fine without treats from visitors, according to a deer protection group.
People jog near a jackal in Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv, Israel, on 10 April. The timid animals have come into the open, reaching areas they rarely venture to as they search for food.
A coyote stands by the roadside as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, at Golden Gate Bridge View Vista Point across from San Francisco, California, U.S., April 7, 2020.
A herd of goats walk the quiet streets in Llandudno, north Wales, Tuesday March 31, 2020. A group of goats have been spotted walking around the deserted streets of the seaside town during the nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus.
These happy sights of wild animals in cities amid COVID-19, during this stressful time are providing some comfort. Hopefully, mankind will understand the importance of wildlife and will resist the further extortion of their wild habitat.