During recent days, social media is overflowing with pictures of animals who have taken control of the roads while people being left under lockdown. As coronavirus pandemic continues to keep countries under lockdown, wild animals like – swans and dolphins in Venice or Olive Ridleys in India seem to be enjoying the lack of human hustle-bustle.
Like other animals, the latest to join the list, lions – the kings of the jungle as they step out of their habitat and enjoy napping on the tourist-free roads of Kruger National Park in South Africa ever since the lockdown from March 25.
Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in South Africa with magnificent wildlife most known for its self-drive safaris. The management has tweeted the unseen footage of the animals roaming freely without any interruption of the tourists.
“Kruger visitors that tourists do not normally see. This lion pride are usually resident on Kempiana Contractual Park, an area Kruger tourists do not see. This afternoon they were lying on the tar road just outside of Orpen Rest Camp.”
Kruger visitors that tourists do not normally see. #SALockdown This lion pride are usually resident on Kempiana Contractual Park, an area Kruger tourists do not see. This afternoon they were lying on the tar road just outside of Orpen Rest Camp.
— Kruger National Park (@SANParksKNP) April 15, 2020
📸Section Ranger Richard Sowry pic.twitter.com/jFUBAWvmsA
Park ranger Richard Sowry, an “essential service” employee to ensure the welfare of the animals, clicked this unusual occurrence while being on his vehicle.
As of Saturday 5th, May 2020 South Africa reached 5,951 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 116 deaths linked with the disease according to researched data.
Isaac Phaahla, a communications and marketing manager at the park, stated that “animals must have realized that there has not been traffic since the lockdown” and occupied the tourist-free space as an advantage to be laid on.
Usually, lions only roam paved roads during nights. There are no behavior changes in animals but the concern is that they get adapted to this habitual behavior even after the lockdown gets over, said Phaahla.
Leave a Reply