As COVID Shutdown Halts Tourism, Crocodiles Take Over Deserted Beach
Nothing is as soothing to the soul as a deserted beach, where the waves can pound the shore as they have since the dawn of time and not a single jangling cellphone can be heard.
Just ask a crocodile.
The reptiles have been seen soaking up the rays on the lagoon beach at La Ventanilla in Oaxaca, an ecotourism resort on Mexico’s southern coast, according to a Spanish-language account by Mexican news agency Milenio.com.
Some crocodiles, the news outlet said, were frolicking in the water and appeared to be surfing.
The Mexican government closed its beaches in early April as part of restrictions put in place to inhibit the spread of the coronavirus, according to Mexico News Daily.
In the absence of people, crocodiles take over Oaxaca beaches. https://t.co/u9G83pYd0n pic.twitter.com/Gdul54TDsb
— Mexico News Daily (@mexicond) April 13, 2020
The beaches at Oaxaca have been contested in the past.
In November, one fisherman took a nap on the sand and was attacked by a crocodile, Mexico News Daily reported. The victim was hospitalized but survived.
The Mexican beach is not the only place where wildlife now walks openly in a human-free environment.
Yosemite National Park in California is full of critters that have emerged from hiding.
The wildlife in Yosemite National Park has begun to revel in spring and an unusually quiet park in the absence of humans. ?https://t.co/zN6cLo4Zqm
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) April 13, 2020
“The bear population has quadrupled,” Dane Peterson, who works at the Ahwahnee Hotel in the park, said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“It’s not like they aren’t usually here,” he said, concerning bears, bobcats and coyotes that are now commonly seen. “It’s that they usually hang back at the edges, or move in the shadows.”
The photogenic animals are not always friendly.
Near Missoula, Montana, the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Department is warning the public about wildlife sightings, which have increased as human activity has waned, according to KCFW-TV.
In this case, the warning referring to mountain lions prowling about.
Waking up to a mountain lion in the backyard was the Coronapocalypse plot twist I did not see coming. pic.twitter.com/ykyg71DSTh
— Robinne Lee (@robinnelee) March 14, 2020
The change in wildlife patterns is global, noted The Guardian.
A coyote stands by the roadside at Golden Gate Bridge View Vista Point across from San Francisco, California. More photos of the day: https://t.co/QCqYSzx3PW ? Shannon Stapleton pic.twitter.com/SH0QsMBitZ
— Reuters Pictures (@reuterspictures) April 9, 2020
“Coyotes, normally timid of traffic, have been spotted on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Deer are grazing near Washington homes a few miles from the White House. Wild boar are becoming bolder in Barcelona and Bergamo, Italy,” it wrote.
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