How Covid-19 Changed the World

By Shingo Narita

(Japanese translation coming soon.)

Normally animals we don't see are being observed in many places as cities around the world are on lockdown because of the new coronavirus epidemic. Some may think that a world free of humans is an ideal place for animals, but it seems to vary greatly depending on the ecology of the animals.

In the movie The Last of Mankind there is a scene where the city is gradually covered with plants and foxes roam the streets. Except for the actual end, the situation that is likely to be the closest to this scenario so far is happening right now in locked down metropolitan cities around the world.

In San Francisco, traffic-wary coyotes wander the deserted Golden Gate Bridge. In Llandudno, Wales, goats are moving into the city. In Barcelona, wild boars are starting to move to the center of the city. The same thing is happening in Sapporo. Recently, there have been a series of sightings of animals such as foxes, deer, and even bears in the city.

In this era of widespread human intervention, habitat and food restrictions make survival uncertain. When you lose your habitat you have nowhere else to go. And this is especially dangerous when the people who have protected their habitat are unable to go out.

This is also happening in popular tourist areas. As cities around the world are locked down due to the coronavirus, wild animals return to areas they avoided before. In Wales, England, 122 goats invaded the city. Instead of a ghost town, it became a goat town.

The Corona virus is causing a lot of difficulties everywhere. However, in order to improve this situation, try to avoid close contact with people as much as possible, and please wear a mask and wash your hands.