While coronavirus and Covid-19 have severe effects on us humans, animals are venturing into the now mostly abandoned cities. There have been reports from all across the globe, showing large groups of animals coming into the cities or loners of rare species being spotted. We would like to share a few of those occurrences.
Mountain goats in Llundudno, North Wales
A wild herd of Kashmiri goats ventured into Llundudno’s town centre, helping themselves to shrubs, bushes and flowers. They usually live in the Great Orme, a headland on the north coast of Wales.
Wild deer in Nara, Japan
Hungry sika deer are roaming the streets of Nara, located on Japan’s main island of Honshu. The deer are used to being fed special rice crackers by tourists in nearby Nara Park. Now that the tourists are gone, the sika deer are wandering into the city in search of food.
Macaques in Lopburi, Thailand
Another group of animals that is used to human handouts are large tribes of macaques who are usually found around the Phra Prang Sam Yot monkey temple. With the absence of tourists to feed them, they too have come into the nearby city. This species has become so habituated to humans that they display hyper-aggression if they are not given food. This has led to the monkeys forming two large gangs fighting over supremacy in the streets of Lopburi.
Wild boar in Sassari, Sardinia
Even though some animal stories coming out of Italy have been exaggerated or misleading, there are many confirmed occurrences of wildlife roaming Italian streets. One of these is the wild boar exploring the streets of the Sardinian town of Sassari.
Indian civet cat in Kerala
Another video that went viral was that of a civet cat wandering across a zebra crossing in the Indian town of Meppayur. These animals are normally nocturnal, so a daytime sighting is extremely rare. It was originally claimed that the animal was the extremely rare Malabar civet, but it was later confirmed that it was in fact a much more common small Indian civet.
Most of the time, animals living near cities avoid people whom they consider as predators. They tend to come out when humans are not likely to be around. They often choose the middle of the night or dawn when they are certain that fewer humans are likely to cross their path. But with everyone in lockdown, this has changed, and some animals adapt quickly and take advantage of the opportunity to explore new territories.