Animals Worldwide Take Over During Coronavirus Lockdown

As humans are locked down due to the coronavirus many animals suddenly feeling emboldened to venture into now-deserted cities, towns and parks. Humans have watched from indoors as nature has come creeping out of the shadows.

Animals on land and in the sea are taking back areas claimed by humans over the past month amid global lockdowns to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Herds of animals have boldly wandered through rural towns. Scavengers have picked over city trash bins with no humans around to scare them away. And in some places, vicious packs have fought over food and territory that they’ll eventually be forced to surrender when the lockdowns end.

Goats, Red Foxes and Kangaroos run free

Wild Kashmiri mountain goats have been running rampant throughout the Welsh town of Llandudno since last month. Much to the delight of locals and social media users.

In Ashkelon, Israel, several red foxes were seen wandering the city streets on April 20.

In the South Australian capital of Adelaide, a kangaroo was spotted bouncing through deserted streets in the center of the city. For context, Adelaide isn’t exactly a small town — it’s a coastal city of more than 1.2 million people.

Protective Security Officers tracked a suspect wearing a grey fur coat hopping through the heart of the #adelaide CBD this morning. He was last seen on foot heading into the West Parklands 🦘🚔👮#animaltakeover #whatsthatskip #kangaroo #cityslicker pic.twitter.com/JPyVXIYQRw

— South Australia Police (@SAPoliceNews) April 19, 2020

The kangaroo was spotted by South Australia Police on CCTV. A spokesperson said the marsupial narrowly escaped a road accident, before heading to park land.

Wild pumas and gangs of macaques

Wildlife officials in Santiago, Chile, have been busy chasing down pumas in the city. After multiple cases of the big cats roaming freely around the area. The pumas were tranquilized and relocated each time they showed up.

A dramatic scene played out in Thailand on March 11, when rival gangs of macaques started fighting amid the typically tourist-filled stress of Lopburi. Video of the battle spread rapidly across the internet.

Marine park officials have found a big school of dugongs happily feeding on seagrass in Trang because the coronavirus disease has stopped tourism. A school of 22 dugongs, including mothers and babies, feeding freely on seagrass without the usual disturbance from fishing boats and speedboats carrying tourists.

Some of the wildest scenes have emerged out of India, where the country’s diverse wildlife has been quick to fill the void left by 1.3 billion people suddenly going into lockdown.

Feral dogs and hungry monkeys

In Ajmer, a city in northwestern India, feral dogs were spotted hunting a wild boar on the city streets. They eventually herded the boar into a sewer trough.

Hungry monkeys clambered all over a car in the village of Ode, outside Ahmedabad, in hopes of getting a few morsels of food during the lockdown in late March.

Wild deer have also been making themselves feel at home in some of Japan’s typically crowded areas. Which now sit virtually empty amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

Wild turkeys have also been spotted roaming through the suburbs in several North American cities. Including Baton Rouge, La.

Gangs of turkeys taking over the empty #quarantine streets here in #batonrouge #animalstakingover pic.twitter.com/aZYGVQSDqz

— Prosanta Chakrabarty (@PREAUX_FISH) April 18, 2020

It’s unclear exactly when the coronavirus threat will pass, but those turkeys might not want to hang around. Especially when Thanksgiving rolls around later this year.