Coronavirus: Kangaroo ventures into locked-down Adelaide
April 20, 2020
A kangaroo in central Adelaide filmed by Australian police is just the latest wild creature lured into cities subdued by the pandemic. In recent weeks, two cougars entered Chile's capital Santiago, before being captured.
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The "suspect," posted South Australian police Monday, was "wearing a gray fur coat" and "hopping through the heart of the Adelaide Central Business District."
The kangaroo, police quipped, "was last seen on foot heading into the West Parklands," a prized greenbelt of the capital of South Australia state.
CCTV footage at one point showed the kangaroo and a lone car narrowly avoiding collision.
"We sometimes spot kangaroos in the suburbs but never in the [center of the] city," a police media officer said. "Normally it's bustling with cars."
Around the world, reports have accumulated in recent pandemic-shutdown weeks of wildlife entering urban and commercial areas.
Two normally reclusive cougars were captured in Chile's capital Santiago while under nighttime curfew in what livestock service director Marcelo Giagnoni described as a "unique" phenomena.
"There's no people, there's no noise, so they dare to explore a little more," said Giagnoni, referring to prolonged quarantine measures.
Both cougars, one weighing 35 kilograms, were taken to zoos for checks.
With more than half the global population under lockdown over COVID-19, our cities have become shadows of their former selves. For some animals, it's proving the perfect opportunity to go and explore.
Image: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/S. Vidanagama
Trip into town
In the coastal Welsh town of Llandudno, usually timid mountain goats have ventured into the empty streets to take a look around. They've become an online favorite thanks to Twitter posts by video producer Andrew Stuart. "There's hardly anyone around to scare them or anything … they just don't really care and are eating whatever they can," he said. The UK has been on lockdown since March 23.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/P. Byrne
Exploring new ground
In Nara, Japan's first permanent capital, deer are considered "messengers of the gods" and have been designated national treasures. More than 1,000 regularly wander through the city's central park, and visitors are encouraged to feed them sugar-free wheat crackers. But with tourists staying away during the outbreak, some curious deer have been quietly investigating nearby shops and restaurants.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/J. C. Hong
Monkey menace
Thousands of macaques that roam the streets of Lopburi in Thailand haven't been so polite. Usually well-fed by tourists, the monkeys have been finding snacks hard to come by during the pandemic. They've even engaged in intertribal warfare over scraps, fighting in the streets and historic temples. Thailand, the first country outside China to confirm a COVID-19 case, saw 39 million tourists in 2019.
Image: Reuters/S. Z. Tun
Urban jungle
This young puma was recently found stalking through the empty streets of downtown Santiago, Chile, followed soon after by two more. The animals live in the nearby Andes Mountains and have increasingly been spotted in the locked down capital, home to about 6 million people. "There's no people, there's no noise, so they dare to explore a little more," said a regional official.
Image: AFP/A. Pina
Unfamiliar territory
India, home to 1.3 billion people — around 17% of the world population — began its ongoing lockdown on March 24. Most flights have been suspended, and these stray dogs have taken advantage of the abandoned arrivals area at the Kolkata airport. There are tens of millions of strays roving the country's streets and slums; a law has made it illegal to kill or maim the animals.
Image: AFP/D. Sarkar
Strays rule the streets
Strays are also common in Istanbul — the city on the Bosporus has about 15 million inhabitants, but counts more than 200,000 free roaming cats and dogs. Local authorities regularly provide food and checkups for the animals, and that hasn't let up during the pandemic. Animal rights activists have said pets are increasingly being abandoned, amid false reports they can pass the virus on to humans.
Image: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/E. Demirtas
Calm canals
Venice, usually a popular tourist destination, has seen dramatic changes during the outbreak which has brought Italy to near collapse. The northern city is normally swamped with visitors, but canals have emptied during the country's strict lockdown measures. Without the constant passage of boat taxis and gondolas the muddied waters have settled, and seabirds and fish are once again visible.
Image: AFP/A. Pattaro
Visiting the neighbors
The United States, the new epicenter of the pandemic, has been gradually imposing varying degrees of lockdown measures across the country. In Chicago, the Shedd Aquarium has closed its doors to the public until at least April 30. In the absence of visitors, the center's rockhopper penguins have been allowed out to explore.
Image: Shedd Aquarium/Alicia Atkins
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At Yosemite National Park in Northern California in recent weeks herds of deer, coyotes, and a bear have ambled where tourists typically gather with their cars.
"Nature is obviously welcoming the change," said Yosemite conservancy president Frank Dean. "The wildlife is getting a little bit bolder now because there are few people around."
Most notable were coyotes, Dean said: "They're not afraid. I mean, they're just sort of walking by people and walking around, among buildings."
Meanwhile, in the small Welsh town of Llandudno, mountain goats captured the internet's imagination as they roamed down from the hills into the deserted high street.
The South Australia state on Sunday also announced the death a 74-year-old Adelaide man who contracted the coronavirus during a recent South Pacific cruise on board the ship Ruby Princess.
More than a dozen former passengers of the vessel which docked in Sydney last month have since died. More than 500 persons, including crew, were infected.
Australia has recorded 57 coronavirus deaths during the pandemic.