With Covid-19 keeping everyone cooped up in the house, the world is seeing a resurgence of animals in places where before, their numbers were dwindling or non-existent. From the canals of Venice to Thailand, Mother Nature is bouncing back.
Authorities in Thailand are reporting higher numbers of sea turtles than usual and are attributing the turtle’s return to the absence of beach goers. Without people flocking to the beaches, the turtles are afforded the chance for their eggs to hatch undisturbed. Reuters put out the following video on the topic:
The lack of people in the area also enables the adult turtles to mate closer to the shorelines. While it is early still in the season (nesting normally takes place from May through October), Thailand has reported 11 nests since November (higher than the previous two decades). Previous years saw lower spawning numbers due to turtles being killed by fishing gear and by humans disturbing the beaches where they nest.
Thailand currently remains in a state of “social distancing” with many establishments unable to open until the official word comes down from the government. There is talk that the country will start re-opening slowly on May 1st.
Will we have learned from our past mistakes when this is all over? Or will things go right back to the way they used to be with little to no thought about our environmental impact once again?
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