Humans may be staying home during the CCP virus pandemic, but animals sure are coming out.
On Sunday, 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.
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.
“It was quite unique,” the spokesperson said, adding that it was likely the quiet of Adelaide’s CCP virus lockdown that drew the kangaroo to the city center.
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
All Australians are required to stay at home except for essential reasons, like buying groceries or seeking medical care. Gatherings are limited to two people in public spaces, and all public outdoor areas, including playgrounds, are closed.
These scenes are playing out across the world, as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus—a novel coronavirus that originated in China and has since caused a global pandemic—is restricting movement, business closures, remote working measures and stay-at-home orders keep people off the streets.
In the Thai province of Phuket, meanwhile, the number of turtle nests on some beaches has reached a 20-year high—and Kanokwan Homcha-ai, supervisor of the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation, said Monday the increase is likely due to the lockdown measures implemented in March.
Phuket is Thailand’s most popular island, and a major tourist attraction. Then it became a hotspot for the country’s CCP virus outbreak, and was put under strict lockdown.
Now, the tourists are gone and streets are empty—and so are the beaches and coastlines.
Homcha-ai said the CCP virus measures could have long-term positive effects for other species and the environment, since marine life have more time to regenerate undisturbed by human activities.
And in Wales in late March, a herd of goats left their home in the Great Orme headland to roam around the northern coastal town of Llandudno.
The streets were quiet after new restrictions on social movement—and the goats happily filled the empty spaces.
Videos and pictures shared online show the goats grazing on grass from church grounds, flower beds, and residential properties.
CNN Wire and NTD staff contributed to this report.
