- [Narrator] Social media and the news cycle are dominated
by the coronavirus pandemic.
- Coronavirus.
- COVID-19.
- It's been almost a month since the first case
of COVID-19 was confirmed in Arkansas.
- [Narrator] It's important to stay
up to date as this crisis unfolds.
But it's also good to look for a silver lining.
Around the world, wildlife and the environment are thriving.
From the shores of India to the streets of Wales,
animals are embracing the new normal.
While humans may be in quarantine,
nature is most certain not.
Take a look at these stories from around the world.
They're sure to put a smile on your face.
Number one.
Sea turtles nest on empty beaches.
More 70,000 olive ridley sea turtles were seen nesting
at Rushikulya on the coast
of the eastern Indian state of Odisha.
The rookery is one of the largest mass nesting sites
for the olive ridley.
But the turtles didn't come last year
probably due to Cyclone Titli.
They did return this year but at an unusual time of day.
Instead of at night, they arrived in the daytime
with no one around on the beach to disturb them.
The beach is usually crowded with tourists
and locals trying to get a glimpse of the sea turtles.
Experts don't think the lockdown has impacted the turtles
nesting habits but it does mean that any damage caused
by humans to the turtles or their eggs is reduced.
Although the olive ridley sea turtle is the most abundant
of all sea turtles found in the world,
it is still listed as vulnerable by the IUCN Red list.
A similar occurrence was witnessed in Brazil.
97 hawksbill sea turtles hatched on a deserted beach
in Paulista, a city in the northeastern state of Pernambuco.
The hawksbill sea turtle is listed
as critically endangered by the IUCN Red list.
In addition to being affected by habitat loss,
their colorful shells make them targets for poachers.
In Florida, leatherback turtles are surfacing
in record numbers.
According to the Loggerhead Marine Life Center,
not only are there more turtles
but the center says they're bigger and healthier
than in previous years too.
- [Reporter] Encountered nearly 70 nests on Juno Beach
which they say is way more than normal.
And they say these turtles are also nice and fat
which is also good news.
- [Narrator] Number two.
Marine life enjoys a break.
Away from the beaches,
animals in the oceans are enjoying a break too.
Dolphins have been spotted
in the ports of Cagliari, Sardinia
which would normally host cruise ships.
In Canada, orcas are swimming further
up the Indian Arm Fjord near metro Vancouver than usual.
It's likely that noise from nearby industrial
activity kept them out previously.
Lance Barrett-Lennard, Director
of the Marine Mammal Research Program
at Ocean Wise told CDC, "I was quite pleased to see
"that they actually ventured up into Indian Arm,
"a place that they would have used frequently
"a hundred years ago."
A lack of noise on the water is helping
other sea life as well as orcas.
Dolphins and seals have been recorded in areas
where they haven't been for decades
according to Carlos Duarte, a research chair
at the Red Sea Research Center in Saudi Arabia.
Marine experts hope that the fallen demand
for seafood due to restaurants closing will also allow
some areas of the ocean to recover from extensive fishing.
Duarte told Bloomberg, "Studies after the first
"and second world wars showed a spectacular recovery.
"We are hoping that this unintended closed season
"between February and June or July will accelerate
"the recovery of fish stocks and allow us
"to reach conservation objectives faster."
Number three.
Wild animals are walking the streets.
Wild animals the world over are getting more bold than ever.
In Llandudno, North Wales, normally shy mountain goats
recently came down into the town to have a look around.
The herd of 122 cashmere goats were spotted looking
through windows, munching on garden flowers,
and grazing on hedges.
- [Man] A local blogger and tweeter called Andrew
broke the story a few days ago on Twitter.
He made a very nice little film where
he was showing the goats parading around the town.
It really got picked up by a lot of different news agencies.
- [Narrator] The goats live in the Great Orme
limestone headland northwest of Llandudno.
They sometimes come down in bad weather
but locals say it unusual for them
to venture this far into town.
- [Reporter] In recent days, they've been seen wandering
these deserted streets in North Wales
making the town their own.
- [Narrator] Town Counselor Carol Marrubi told the BBC,
"They are curious, goats are.
"And I think they are wondering
"what's going on like everybody else.
"There are very few visitors on the top of the Orme
"so they have come down in their droves.
"There isn't anyone else around
"so they probably decided they may as well take over."
In San Francisco,
packs of coyotes have been spotted roaming the streets.
In Nara, Japan, sika deer have been walking
around subway stations.
In Oakland, California, one onlooker saw wild
turkeys exploring an empty school playground.
And in Turkey, the coastal resort town of Marmaris,
usually a packed tourist attraction,
is now getting some unusual new guests.
The city is seeing packs of wild boar take
to the streets amid the lockdown.
Wild boar are also being spotted walking
in other cities including Carmel and Haifa, Israel.
In Barcelona, wild boars have been taking a look
around the normally bustling city.
In Mumbai, peacocks have been filmed dancing
on empty streets and sitting on cars.
On the empty beaches of San Felipe in Panama,
raccoons have been seen frolicking
near the edge of the surf.
Matt Larsen, the Director of the Smithsonian
Tropical Research Institute in Panama told The Guardian,
"I've lived here six years
"and it was something I had never seen before."
In South Africa, wild penguins have been spotted
roaming streets.
The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation
of Coastal Birds says its rangers have their hands full
as they try to keep the penguins safe.
How would you feel if a sea lion
confronted you on a city street?
If you're strolling through Mar del Plata in Argentina,
that may just happen.
Sea lions have been seen approaching shuttered storefronts
in the usually busy port area.
(speaking in foreign language)
Number four.
Wildlife is reclaiming national parks and nature reserves.
Wildlife is thriving in parks too.
Usually around this time of year,
Yosemite National Park is welcoming hundred
of thousands of visitors.
This year, it's closed
with only some staff members in attendance.
Not only is the air cleaner thanks to the lack of cars,
but wildlife is coming out of hiding.
According to park workers, this has happened amid
previous government shutdowns at the park
over the last 30 years.
Dane Peterson works at the Ahwahnee Hotel in the park.
He told the LA Times, "The bear population has quadrupled.
"It's not like they aren't usually there.
"It's that they usually hang back
"at the edges or move in the shadows."
He said that workers now frequently see bears,
bobcats, and coyotes outside their cabins.
Historian Char Miller believes amid lockdown,
the park looks just like it did in the 19th century.
He said, "One thing we can know
"for sure is that Yosemite is enduring.
"It was here before us, and will remain after we leave."
In the UK, Holkham National Nature Reserve
normally sees upwards of one million visitors a year.
For now, like Yosemite, it's closed.
More sparrowhawks, stoats, and deer have been spotted
along the tracks normally dominated by people.
Jake Fiennes, the reserve Conservation Manager
told The Guardian, "Suddenly, in the peak
"of breeding season, visitors are not going to be here.
"Nature is just going, 'Ah, it's all to ourselves now.'"
Packs of wild jackals have taken over a park
in the heart of Tel Aviv in Israel.
"The normally timid animals wander freely
"among palm trees and across the grass
"of Hayarkon Park," notes the Times of Israel.
Lions in South Africa's Kruger National Park were spotted
snoozing on the park's roads in the middle of the day.
Normally, they would only be seen on the road at night.
But because of the coronavirus lockdown,
they're getting a little more adventurous
with where they choose to nap.
Roughly the same size as Wales,
Kruger is one of South Africa's largest
and most visited national parks.
Nearly two million people descend on the park every year.
Park Ranger Richard Sowry spotted the big cats snoozing
and pulled up to take a photo.
He told the BBC, "Lions are used to people in vehicles.
"All animals have much more of an instinctive
"fear of people on foot, so if I had walked up
"they would never have allowed me to get so close."
The lions are probably sleeping on the road
because it's dry and they don't like wet grass.
The park's media officer Isaac Phaahla told CNN,
"Under normal circumstances there would be traffic
"and that pushes them into the bush.
"They just occupy places that
"they would normally shun when there are tourists.
"People should remember that Kruger is still a largely
"wild area and in the absence of humans,
"wildlife is more active."
Number five.
Around the world, pollution levels are dropping.
India has the worst levels of pollution in the world
but for the first time in decades the air is clearing.
Residents in Jalandhar in northern Punjab
can see the Himalayas clearly.
For 30 years, the Dhauladar Range
in the Himalayan chain has been obscured by pollution.
Some have seen the view of the mountains
for the first time in their lives.
Cricketer Harbhajan Singh tweeted,
"Never seen the Dhauladar Range
"from my home rooftop in Jalandhar.
"Never could imagine that's possible,
"clear indication of the impact the pollution has done
"by us to Mother Earth."
It's not just Jalandhar where pollution levels have dropped.
New Delhi is the most polluted capital city on earth.
Prolonged exposure in the capital is the equivalent
of smoking 50 cigarettes a day.
But amid the country's lockdown,
the city's air is looking clearer than ever.
Politician and author Dr. Shashi Tharoor told The Guardian,
"The blissful sight of blue skies
"and the joy of breathing clean air provides
"just the contrast to illustrate what
"we are doing to ourselves the rest of the time.
"Today the typical Delhi air quality index hovers
"around 30 and one blissful afternoon,
"after a spurt of rain, it dropped to seven."
Across India's cities, pollution levels dropped
between 20 and 60% between March 21st and April 20th.
Other busy cities including Bangkok,
Sao Paulo, London, New York City,
and Colombia's capital of Bogota have witnessed
significant drops in pollution too.
Italy has seen reductions of nearly 40%.
According to The Guardian, these changes are particularly
striking because of the airflow against the Alps.
In Wuhan, China where the coronavirus outbreak began,
the city is seeing some of the largest drops
in pollution across the globe.
Home to 11 million people, the city is a major
transportation hub but since lockdown started in January,
NASA says nitrogen dioxide levels
across the region are 10 to 30% lower than usual.
Will it stay this way?
Experts are hopeful.
Could coronavirus lockdowns be a window into a better world?
Only time will tell.
Which of these stories did you enjoy the most?
Have you spotted more wildlife where you live?
Let us know in the comments below.
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New videos every Tuesday and Friday.
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