We humans have been living in a 24/7 shelter in place drill until further notice, but what about other wildlife? What is happening past our closed doors and shuttered windows? Where are the wild animals and what are they doing?
Since human travel has been restricted, animals have seemingly gained confidence to appear in urban areas for extended periods of time, exploring empty streets and waterways freely. They must be thinking “Where did they all go?” Other animals appreciate the quiet in nature reserves. Authorities describe an exponential increase in wildlife while tourists are gone.
To help combat the spread of COVID-19 through animals, The New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society has done their best to encourage governments to ban live animal trade as well as to stop illegal animal trafficking and poaching. Officials are investigating these vendors (called “wet markets”) to make any changes they can so that a pandemic like this doesn’t happen again.
As much as it seems like animals in zoos would be better off without being watched, pointed, and yelled at all day, most animals inside zoos have been not getting enough attention. Worldwide, zoos have been closed for the duration of the lockdown and that means that the animals only get a couple visitors a day. Zookeepers affirm that even their most intellectual and social animals (including otters, gorillas, and meerkats) are lacking and missing the human interaction they have become so used to.
Be careful when you are driving about these days because animals are much more likely to be nearby. Turkish dolphins are swimming closer and closer to the shore. Wild boars are taking to the streets in Israel. The wildlife is slowly taking back their land.