Animals are flourishing in Britain during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic because of reduced human activities in their habitat.
Mal Ingham, a former Head Ranger & Wildlife Officer, captured on video " badgers and otters relaxing during the coronavirus lockdown'' in Britain.
Caught on tape
According to the Daily Mail, hidden cameras in North Wales" caught the animals moving around at night and playing with each other."
One video showed an otter playing with its pup. Another showed four badgers doing their daily routine.
Ingham said in the Daily Mail, "The otters will be feeling more relaxed about travelling up and down the waterways." With less boats and people on the canals, "They are more inclined to travel around and explore."
The otters and badgers were filmed on private land. No one except Ingham has access to them.
Ingham has published books on Britain's wildlife, namely. He now reviews all badger, fox, and otter sightings in Flintshire, North Wales.
Since the lockdown, Ingham's cameras have been alerting him constantly. People have been staying at home while animals were free to roam.
Also in North Wales, mountain goats ventured into a town center in Llandudno, while a goose has laid its eggs at the York train station.
In Llandudno, North Wales, mountain goats have ventured into the town center, while at the York train station, a goose has laid its eggs.
Humans in, animals out
But in other countries, animals have become more desperate during the pandemic.
The Science Times reported rats in the United States of America are colonizing other rat territories and eating their own kind, even their children, to survive.
Citing famous urban rodentologist Bobby Corrigan, the Science Times said, "The pandemic has forced them into survival mode. Some have resorted to cannibalism, rat wars, and infanticide when food is low."
Rats are braver now. Instead of scurrying away, they can now be seen in broad daylight in groups.
In Stuggart, Germany, the potatoes in a woman's fruit and vegetable cellar looked gnawed. This has never happened before, she said.
WeForum reported in Lopburi, Thailand, "vast brawls of monkeys, estimated at around 1,000 in one report, scavenging among trash and fighting for food."
Visitors traditionally feed monkeys in Lopburi. But with social distancing and other isolation protocols being implemented, the monkeys had no choice but to look for food
Meanwhile, in Japan, sika deer "have left their usual haunts in Japan's tranquil Nara Park to search for food in silent nearby streets," WeForum reported.
With South Africa in lockdown, a pride of lions were caught "sleeping on a road which would normally be busy with tourists," according to BBC.
"Our new habits are altering the urban environment in ways that are likely to be both positive and negative for nature," said Prof. Becky Thomas, who teaches Ecology at the Royal Holloway, University of London.
