Photos show wild animals roaming empty streets as coronavirus lockdowns keep humans inside
Christopher Furlong/Getty
The coronavirus outbreak has swept the globe, forcing countries to administer lockdowns and encourage people to shelter in place.
But some animals have taken advantage of the eerily quiet streets.
Photos and videos show animals from around the world taking relaxing strolls, scrounging for food, and wandering through the streets as humans are told to stay inside.
The coronavirus outbreak has reached nearly every corner of the world, causing billions of people to shelter in place and put a halt on their daily activities.
But animals have taken this disruption as an opportunity to explore. Some of the animal reports (like the dolphins in Venice) turned out to be false, so have a critical eye when you see them on social media.
From California to Japan, these photos show wild animals roaming the empty streets and searching for food uninterrupted.
Adorable shaggy mountain goats were spotted taking a leisurely stroll through the sunny streets of Llandudno, a coastal town in Wales.
Christopher Furlong/Getty
—ABC News (@ABC) March 31, 2020
Source: Insider
In San Francisco, multiple Twitter users spotted coyotes roaming the streets during a three week shelter-in-place order that has left the city largely abandoned.
—manishkumar (@manishkumar457) March 23, 2020
—Lugares y Más (@_LugaresyMas) March 25, 2020
Source: Business Insider
Monkeys have been seen scrounging for food during the virus outbreak in Thailand, after a decline in tourism left them without as many food scraps. This even led to a monkey street-brawl.
Soe Zeya Tun/REUTERS
Source: The Guardian
Sika Deer in Nara, Japan, also rely on the tourism industry for food, but since the city has restricted travel, the deer have been seen wandering the streets and dodging traffic.
Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images
—okadennis (@okadennis) March 4, 2020
—okadennis (@okadennis) March 1, 2020
Source: The New York Times
Since less food waste from restaurants has been discarded into alleyways, rats in New Orleans have taken to swarming the empty streets of the French Quarter in search for their next meal.
—CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) March 28, 2020
Source: CBS News
In Santiago, Chile, a wild puma was seen pacing through the quiet streets. According to the Chilean Agricultural and Livestock Service, the puma came down from the mountains after seeing the streets were largely empty.
ANDRES PINA/ATON CHILE/AFP via Getty Images
—MegafonoPopular® (@MegafonoPopular) March 24, 2020
Source: The Guardian
Wild boar have been spotted snuffling around typically bustling areas of Barcelona and throughout parts of Italy. Since the 1980s, warmer temperatures, more food, and fewer predators have meant their numbers have exploded across cities in Europe, China, Pakistan, and the US.
—Robert Woodshaw (@robertwoodshaw) March 30, 2020
—Ana Raventós (@a2z75) March 19, 2020
Sources: Wired, BBC, Business Insider
A strolling pack of geese were found crossing Las Vegas Boulevard, taking advantage of very little traffic.
—FOX5 Las Vegas (@FOX5Vegas) April 1, 2020
Animals have also had the opportunity to explore emptied businesses. After closing down to the public, The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago allowed its penguins to run freely throughout the exhibits.
—Shedd Aquarium (@shedd_aquarium) March 27, 2020
—WNDU (@WNDU) March 31, 2020
Source: Insider
And the Georgia Aquarium opened its doors to adorable foster puppies, taking them on a playdate with their underwater friends.
—People (@people) March 29, 2020
Source: People
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