Lockdown’s been a boon for wildlife
As the whirr of traffic fell silent and many people began working from home, I cannot have been the only person who noticed the birdsong in our gardens was much louder. I noticed other increased animal and bird presence too.
More foxes in town rummaging around the bins, and pheasants running around happily in the hedgerows and fields. Then there were the hedgehogs, woodpeckers, fish, butterflies and bumblebees enjoying a respite from humans too.
And in our local park, the pond had, according to my count yesterday, 39 seagulls on it. These birds usually stay by the sea and are fed by tourists, but with no tourist industry, they are coming inland and being fed scraps with the swans and ducks by locals.
So while humans struggle with lockdown restrictions, with fewer people in urban environments and less traffic, there are many gains for our animals. Good for them. Name and address supplied
At about 5am the other morning I heard, all too briefly, the oncecommon but now rare sound of the cuckoo. In times past, this might have been seen as an omen of some sort. Let us hope that before too long, mention of Covid-19 is as unheard of as the cuckoo’s call. Alan Sharpe, Melton Mowbray
After we regain our autonomy and we are able to come and go at will again, let’s not forget what confinement feels like – and stop patronising any establishment that imprisons wild animals. Sascha Camilli, Special Projects Co-ordinator, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals