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One of Australia’s biggest cities is so quiet that kangaroos are jumping through the center

Kangaroo (stock image) (Ethan Brooke/Pexels)

Humans may be staying home during the coronavirus pandemic, but animals sure are coming out.

On Sunday, in the South Australian capital of Adelaide, a kangaroo was spotted bouncing through deserted streets in the center of the city.

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For context, Adelaide isn't exactly a small town -- it's a coastal city of more than 1.2 million people.

The kangaroo was spotted by South Australia Police on CCTV. A spokesperson said the marsupial narrowly escaped a road accident, before heading to park land.

Police in Adelaide tweeted a video showing a kangaroo hopping through the city with the captions "Protective Security Officers tracked a suspect wearing a grey fur coat hopping through the heart of the Adelaide CBD this morning." (KSAT)

"It was quite unique," the spokesperson said, adding that it was likely the quiet of Adelaide's coronavirus lockdown that drew the kangaroo to the city center.

All Australians are required to stay at home except for essential reasons, like buying groceries or seeking medical care. Gatherings are limited to two people in public spaces, and all public outdoor areas, including playgrounds, are closed.

These scenes are playing out across the world, as coronavirus movement restrictions, business closures, remote working measures and stay-at-home orders keep people off the streets.

In the Thai province of Phuket, meanwhile, the number of turtle nests on some beaches has reached a 20-year high -- and Kanokwan​ Homcha-ai, supervisor of the Mai​ Khao Marine Turtle​ Foundation, said Monday the increase is likely due to the lockdown measures implemented in March.

Phuket is Thailand's most popular island, and a major tourist attraction. Then it became a hotspot for the country's coronavirus outbreak, and was put under strict lockdown.

Now, the tourists are gone and streets are empty -- and so are the beaches and coastlines.

Homcha-ai said the coronavirus measures could have long-term positive effects for other species and the environment, since marine life have more time to regenerate undisturbed by human activities.

And in Wales in late March, a herd of goats left their home in the Great Orme headland to roam around the northern coastal town of Llandudno.

The streets were quiet after new restrictions on social movement -- and the goats happily filled the empty spaces.

Videos and pictures shared online show the goats grazing on grass from church grounds, flower beds, and residential properties.


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