13 times animals made the most of lockdown around the world

Adelaide’s downtown has been left deserted by the coronavirus lockdown, so one brave kangaroo took the chance to explore the city centre a little closer.

Adelaide police released the footage of the kangaroo speedily making its way down the main road before bouncing through the usually-bustling downtown area.

Turkey’s third largest city, Izmir, usually draws crows of travellers in with its rich history and culture, sparkling bay and lively waterfront.

Since the coronavirus lockdown, however, the city has become a hot spot for a herd of stray horses.

The horses enjoyed the empty streets, taking the chance to leisurely clip-clop across the road, chew on the grass and relax without the crowds.

Due to its location in a valley in the Andes, it’s not unheard of to spot cougars in the Chilean capital. But since the streets of Santiago have been left quiet due to the coronavirus lockdown, many more sightings of the mountain cats have been reported.

This cougar made its way into a residential area and inquisitively hopped a wall to peek inside a garden. It’s one of three cougars that have been rescued from the city and taken back to a safer location, further away in the Andes.

Usually found paddling and sunbathing on Cape Town’s Boulder Beach, these adventurous penguins decided to venture out a little further during lockdown.

The African penguins were captured waddling down the pavement on their visit to Simon’s Town, just outside of Cape Town. Usually anxious around people and cars, the lockdown made for perfect conditions for the curious birds to go on a city trip.

Seeing wild boar on the streets is not uncommon in Haifa, Israel, but the lack of people around allows the pigs to wreak more havoc than usual.

Families of wild boars have been filmed taking over entire pavements, crossing zebra crossings, relaxing in front gardens and having a greedy look inside people’s bins.

Residents of this town in Kerala were caught by surprise when they spotted a civet making its way across the road during the Indian lockdown.

Although it was claimed to be a rare Malabar civet, the creature actually turned out to be a small Indian civet. But still an incredible sight to see in a city centre.

Residents in Romford, East London were stunned to find herds of deer right outside their front doors.

Since lockdown, deer have been brave enough to come out of their usual dwelling places in the capital’s woodlands and parks, and have settled down in the front gardens of East London’s residential areas.

Barefoot Landing in South Carolina is usually packed with visitors enjoying its pretty lake, restaurants, theatre and shops. However, since lockdown was imposed, the tourist spot has attracted a different type of visitor.

Alligators have crept into the quiet space and have been caught window shopping in the centre. The reptiles have also waddled into people’s gardens during the pandemic, and enjoyed a spot of sunbathing in private on the once-crowded Myrtle Beach.

(Richard Lowry/Kruger National Park on Twitter)

Kempiana Contractual Park has been left devoid of visitors during the COVID-19 outbreak. And these sleeping lions have been making the most of the lack of cars passing by, choosing the middle of the road as the perfect place for a nap in the sun.

Coyotes take over San Fransisco (Shutterstock)

Seeing coyotes in San Fransisco’s urban areas isn’t uncommon, but sightings have jumped up significantly during the coronavirus lockdown. These wild canines have been emboldened by the recent quietness and can be seen skipping across roads, relaxing in front gardens and breaking into bins.

No doubt the coyotes have been keeping people awake during the night too, with their incredibly loud and shrill howling.

These Welsh mountain goats can usually be spotted on the Great Orme, but the lockdown has inspired them to pay a visit to the nearby seaside town of Llandudno.

Naturally, these inquisitive goats have become somewhat of an obsession on social media, with photos showing herds of goats stopping outside storefronts, congregating outside the church, nibbling on garden grass and providing much entertainment during lockdown.

The Alle Dolomiti Boutique Hotel in Molveno, Italy has released footage of a bear wandering past in the night.

The critically endangered Eurasian bear is hard to spot even in the wild, so imagine the surprise when it made an appearance in Molveno’s town centre during lockdown.

Thought to be on the hunt of food, the bear took the opportunity to explore the abandoned streets in peace and quiet.

Flamingos have flocked to Mumbai in their thousands (Shutterstock)

It’s not uncommon to see flamingos in Mumbai between November and May, as they migrate here every year to find food. What’s significant this year, though, is the sheer number of the pink birds.

According to the Bombay Natural History Society, there’s been a 25% increase in flamingo migration numbers at Talawe Wetlands in Navi Mumbai. It is thought that the lack of people out, due to quarantine measures, has allowed the flamingos more space than usual, likely contributing to the increased influx of the beautiful bird.