How does a coronavirus pandemic affect animals?

Due to the pandemic of the new coronavirus CoVID-19not only people suffer. Unfortunately, the rapid changes in our lives negatively affect the wildlife. The Internet was flooded with videos from different countries where mountain goats, wild coyotes and wild boars roam the empty streets of cities. In general, everything that has happened lately has been reminiscent of scenes from films about the death of human civilization: when plants capture more and more space, and wolves and deer roam the streets. Of course, I hope that this will not come to this, but after only a few weeks of quarantine wild boars made their way to the center of Barcelona, ​​and in Thailand, the monkeys that the tourists used to feed walk around the streets in search of food and attack people. It turns out that with each new day CoVID-19 creates new problems that need urgent attention.

Mountain goats captured city streets in Wales, UK

What will happen to animals without humans?

If you think that with animals everything will beokay if humanity suddenly disappears, do not rush to conclusions. Of course, many species in the absence of humans will flourish, such as coyotes, wild boars and rats. The fact is that coyotes and rats are in some way “universal animals” that are able to adapt to a variety of environmental conditions and feed on what they find. However, not all animals are so lucky - some species today are on the verge of extinction and they need human help to survive.

The first thing worth mentioning is animals thatclosest to us - dogs, cats, pigeons, seagulls and so on. Many dogs and cats live on the street and, like pigeons and seagulls, are addicted to human food. There are practically no people on the streets and there is simply no one to feed stray animals. Previously, they could at least eat leftovers thrown out by people, but now there is practically no edible garbage in the deserted streets. Do not forget about the animals that are kept in shelters for dogs and cats - there are no visitors, owners do not receive donations and our smaller brothers suffer from hunger.

Do not believe that birds starve without people walking on the street? Watch this video where starving white pigeons literally pounced on human-thrown food.

I don’t know why people decided that our species is more important than others

If you were not interested in the topic of poaching,you will probably be a little surprised. Scientists believe that the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus could appear precisely because of poachers who hunted pretty cute and unusual animals - pangolins. These mammals feed on ants and live mainly in South Africa. Unfortunately, unusual gastronomic hobbies of the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire put the pangolins on the brink of extinction. Read more about the relationship of these animals with the new coronavirus, read in our material.

The situation in Africa is also exacerbated by the collapse of Kenyaflower delivery industry in the Amsterdam flower market. The bankruptcy of the industry has just left 7,000 people unemployed. It is important to understand that all these people will also seek food and many will begin to hunt wild animals. So, today in Africa there is a real war between livestock defenders and poachers who massively destroy elephants and rhinos. Unfortunately, in this war not only animals suffer, but also people. However, it seems to me that saving other species from death is a direct responsibility of man. But when it comes to survival, the situation becomes very difficult.

Elephants are incredibly intelligent animals, capable of compassion and mutual assistance.

Needless to say, similar problemsmay soon rise in other countries of the world. Recently, Russia for the first time in 23 years updated the information on endangered species in the Red Book - 43 species were added to it, including gray goose, Siberian eider, reindeer, Caspian seal and many others. The list itself can be found on the official website of the department. Given the increase in unemployment due to the outbreak of CoVID-19, hunters are asking the government not to ban hunting, as people need to feed their families. At the same time, it is extremely unlikely that in a critical situation someone will think about the survival of rare species of wild animals.

Many people are also at risk from the pandemic.animals on islands, such as seabirds. When people first arrived on the islands, they brought with them a species that could exterminate other animals - rats. It is known that rodents are very fond of eating the eggs of seabirds that nest on the ground. Without human help, the future of these birds is at risk due to a possible rat invasion. So if people suddenly disappear, then so many species may not survive.

What do you think are the actions of the governmentdifferent worlds should take to ensure wildlife conservation during a pandemic? Share your opinion in the comments and with the participants of our Telegram chat

What happens to animals in cities?

Watch this video carefully:

It contains videos shot by eyewitnesses of differentcountries. The empty city streets now belong to wild animals - Rambla Street in Barcelona was captured by wild boars, coyotes attack San Francisco, and hungry wild monkeys, which were previously fed by tourists, roam packs in Bangkok and other cities. A small town in Wales, UK, was completely at the mercy of mountain goats. The reason animals behave this way is quite simple - people not only do not travel, but also do not leave their homes. Many territories were left unattended and some animals felt more or less calm and began to explore unfamiliar territories. True, in most cases, animals still seek food.

Agree, this is a pretty serious problem,the decision of which cannot be put off. If we want to preserve biodiversity and ecosystems, then urgent action is required to conserve wildlife. Let's not forget that if a pandemic lasts 18 months or longer, experts warn, many animals may simply not survive it.