It’s often said in jest that first-time overseas visitors to Australia are disappointed to find there aren’t kangaroos hopping down the ‘main street’ of Sydney … but there actually soon might be!
The coronavirus lockdown has had a dramatic impact on streetscapes around the world and, with people deserting the pavements, the animals have moved in.
We have seen Kashmiri goats wandering around the Welsh town of Llandudno, wild boar taking daytime strolls in Barcelona, a puma has been spotted in the Chilean capital of Santiago, and wild turkeys are gobbling their way through Oakland in California.
There have also been reports of massive groups of monkeys in Thai streets, deer wandering through railway stations in Japan and across main roads in Sri Lanka, and even prides of lions snoozing on bitumen roads in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.
In Australia, we occasionally spot emus or kangaroos making unexpected appearances in regional towns during severe droughts, but – if the lockdown continues much longer – perhaps we ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
“Normally, animals live in the parts of our cities that we don’t use,” said Seth Magle, from Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. “It makes them an unseen presence, kind of like ghosts … but now is going to be a really cool time to spot wildlife.”
Perhaps then, when those borders do eventually reopen, first-time visitors will be pleasantly surprised to find camels and koalas joining all of those kangaroos on the Harbour Bridge!
