India’s animals explore areas devoid of people
During the past month in India, wild animals have been spotted in deserted urban areas thanks to nearly a fifth of the world’s population remaining indoors in a nationwide lockdown to inhibit the spread of COVID-19.
In the city of Tirupati in southern India’s Andhra Pradesh state, herds of spotted and sambar deer as well as wild boars were seen roaming the streets. In Noida, an urban area in the northern Indian Uttar Pradesh state, Asian antelopes roamed on the deserted roads.
Weeks ago, cameras caught a leopard on the streets of an Indian Air Force base in Patna, the capital of northern India’s Bihar state. Elusive river dolphins were found swimming alongside the banks of the Ganga River in Patna and also in Bhagalpur, another city in Bihar.
“They love peaceful natural habitats in the river, and the lockdown has proved to be the much-needed blessing in disguise for the Gangetic dolphins,” said Sunil Choudhary, director of Vikramshila Biodiversity Research and Education Center of Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University.
“It looks like the wild animals are feeling relaxed … and have come very close to human settlements, walking on the deserted roads,” said Gopal Singh, Patna district’s forest conservator. He added that the young leopard may have reached the Bihar capital by walking along the Sone River from the Kaimur hills, some 250 kilometers southwest of Patna.
In late April, a tiger was spotted at the Valmikinagar Road Railway Station, also in Bihar. “The tiger (continued to) wander around the station premises for about 15 minutes, and then went away,” Stationmaster Vivek Kumar said, adding that this was the first time he had
seen a tiger at the station.
Forest official Awadhesh Prasad Singh said the tiger might have strayed from nearby Valmiki Tiger Reserve, the only tiger reserve in Bihar, which is ranked the fifth-best tiger reserve in India. He said forest officials constantly patrol areas around the reserve to ensure that wild animals do not come into contact with villagers.
In Mumbai, India’s financial capital, a dozen peacocks strutted on empty streets, spreading their colorful feathers. It is estimated that 150,000 migratory pink flamingos are also enjoying a free run of Mumbai. The number of flamingos that have converged on the port city may be 25 percent higher than last year, according to the Bombay Natural History Society, a research organization.
Environmentalists attribute the high number of pink flamingos mainly to cleaner air and water as a result of the suspension of human activities including transportation, tourism and construction.
A Malabar large-spotted civet, a nocturnal animal on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list of critically endangered animals, was seen in the coastal city of Kozhikode in the southern Indian state of Kerala.
“Wild animals are coming on to the streets as they are confused” by the lack of human activity and “the complete silence prevailing due to the lockdown”, said Gopal Sharma, deputy director of the Zoological Survey of India.
“But, we are very much worried about possible road killings once the lockdown is lifted,” he said. “We request people not to drive fast when the roads are reopened and to immediately stop when wild animals cross the roads. They will automatically move into their habitats after some time.”
The Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in Bihar also placed advertisements in local newspapers to urge motorists to drive slowly when the lockdown is lifted.
Animal welfare activists are also apprehensive about possible increases in human-animal conflict after the lockdown ends. “With increased activity on roads, there is a likelihood of animals returning to places where they can hide again from humans,” said Khushboo Gupta, chief advocacy officer at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
“It’s everyone’s responsibility to exercise caution while driving and help any animals in distress by contacting local animal protection authorities or wildlife authorities,” she said. “They are the invisible cohabitants who have adapted to the practice of social distancing from humans. … Now, when there is less human activity outdoors, they are out and exploring the environment that belongs to them,” Gupta added.