Animal crossing: Wildlife in Asia come out to play during lockdown

When the humans are away, the animals will come out to play.

While most Malaysians are staying home to stop the spread of Covid-19 since the movement control order (MCO) started on March 18, some wild animals are venturing out into the empty streets.

Last week, a family of four elephants was spotted walking along a quiet road near a petrol station in Kenyir, Terengganu.

This rare elephant sighting was caught on video and shared on Info Bencana Terengganu Facebook page, which was later confirmed by the Terengganu Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan).

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If you happen to come across wildlife when out on essential activities, do not panic and report the sighting to Terengganu Perhilitan immediately, the authorities advised.

"We will send in officers to identify and assist if there's a threat to the residents of the area," said Terengganu Perhilitan director Abdul Malek Mohd Yusof.

He added that the lack of human activities during this period has allowed the animals to roam out comfortably to seek food.

As the saying goes, elephants never forget. Further investigations of the sighting found that the petrol station is situated along an old route that wild elephants have not used for a while.

ELEPHANT CROSSING

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In early April, there was another elephant sighting in Kluang, Johor.

The elephant, estimated to be between 10 and 15 years old, was spotted wandering into the car park and compound of Enche Besar Khalsom Hospital (HEBHK).

It was believed that the elephant had wandered off from its herd belonging to the southeast cluster (Kumpulan Gajah Tenggara), and was trying to find its way to the Gunung Lambak Recreational Park.

"It is likely that the MCO had prompted the elephant to wander off further than usual, due to the absence of road traffic in the area," said Johor Perhilitan director Salman Saaban.

Kluang Perhilitan personnel was sent to investigate a 47-second-long video footage of the elephant after it went viral on social media.

OTHER WILDLIFE ROAMING

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Late last month, a tapir was captured crossing the road in Kuantan, in a video uploaded by Berita Kuantan Facebook.

The tapir is a herbivorous mammal and the Malayan tapir is the only one native to Asia, commonly known as cipan, tenuk or badak tamping.

In the same city, a wild boar was spotted roaming around a neighbourhood in Lorong Galing, looking a little panicked at its unfamiliar surroundings.

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MONKEYING AROUND

Lastly, we cannot leave out the monkeys, who are having a ball of a time during the worldwide lockdown.

A few agile monkeys were seen diving, swimming and frolicking around a hotel swimming pool in Mumbai, India, to the amusement of the hotel guests watching behind their room windows.

The viral video of swimming monkeys was uploaded by Tisca Chopra on her Instagram account on April 11.

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From what we can see in the monkey pool party, monkeys are as good swimming in the water as they are swinging from the trees.

melinamoey@asiaone.com

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