To a certain extent, the lockdown and quarantine enforced in many places all over the globe have been beneficial to the environment and wildlife. There are several cases of wildlife creatures roaming towns, cities, and neighborhoods, especially since people are not present and follow the stay-at-home rule. Italy, India, France, and the US among others have witnessed wildlife enjoying the hiatus of people flocking outside as usual. Squirrels, deer, birds, wolves, pumas, and bears, are among the few animals enjoying the “run of the town” literally.
A tourist spot in Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca is seeing groups of crocodiles taking over the beach for the first time in decades. The village of La Ventanilla, in the coastal city of Santa Maria Tonameca, is a popular place because it is an ecological site, with a mangrove lagoon, rare birds, crustaceans, and reptiles. Among the more popular are the crocodiles which are protected by local ecotourism cooperatives. They are there to keep tourists away from the nearby beaches of Puerto Escondido and Huatulco. Authorities worry about the shared habitat of humans and crocodiles, and try to avoid incidents like when a fisherman was attacked by a croc while he was taking a siesta.
Crocodiles frequently encroach on human-populated areas, but now due to the absence of many because of the lockdown, they have come to play. It seems their natural fear of humans has been suppressed, at least for the time being, and explore areas usually filled with people. A photo taken by Janitzio Ramos shared on FB by Esau Zavaleta clearly shows groups of crocodiles lounging and enjoying the beach.
Due to frequent violent interactions between humans and crocodiles, a federal environmental protection agency – Profepa, has been carrying out a census in local lagoon areas, but because of the Coronavirus pandemic, the project has stopped. Early April, the Mexican federal government started to close all the beaches to prevent crowds from gathering and spreading the virus. Their National Guard has been working with local police to prevent access to the beaches, particularly during the recent Holy Week celebrations. Just last month, 211 students from University of Texas in Austin, flew to Cabo San Lucas for Spring Break during March 14-19. 49 of them tested positive for COVID-19 as of April 3.
People are more serious about helping out, and staying at home. While many love to go to the beaches, sacrifice goes a long way in staying healthy and helping contain the virus. The beaches are still being enjoyed, by a different group of inhabitants. Crocodiles, sea turtles, and even jaguars are noticed in once bustling tourist places like Riviera Maya and Cancun. It is the turn of our creature neighbors to enjoy themselves.
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