LA's skies are smog-free and peacocks are roaming the streets of Dubai. Photos show how nature has returned to cities shut down by the coronavirus pandemic.
Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images
Aside from slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus, social distancing has had the unintended side effect of reducing pollution and replenishing wildlife across the globe.
Several cities have seen a reduction in air pollution, while mountain goats overran one Welsh town as people stay indoors.
The coronavirus has infected over 2.4 million and killed more than 165,000, with over 40,000 deaths in the US.
Social distancing might not just slow the spread of the novel coronavirus — it might also give the environment a break from the pollution of modern life.
Cities across the globe have reported reductions in air pollution as daily life has come to a grinding halt because of the pandemic. Governments around the world have asked people to practice social distancing (or mandated nationwide lockdown measures) to slow its spread.
Keep reading to see how urban environments have changed amid the coronavirus crisis.
Skies are free of smog in some parts of China ...
NASA
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... and in Los Angeles.
Shutterstock/J Dennis
—Laura J. Nelson 🦅 (@laura_nelson) March 26, 2020
Italy's air quality has also improved.
Alberto Lingria/Reuters
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So has the air quality in major cities like New York City, Seattle, and San Francisco as shelter-in-place orders have dramatically reduced car travel.
Source: NBC News
With less boat traffic, the water in Venice's canals is clear instead of its usual murky green color.
REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri
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You can see straight to the bottom, and fish have returned to some parts.
ANDREA PATTARO/AFP via Getty Images
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Goats roamed the streets, sunbathed on the grounds of a church, nibbled hedges, and trespassed through a few gardens in one Welsh town as human pedestrians stayed home to practice social distancing.
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
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Wild turkeys were spotted having some fun on a closed elementary school playground in California.
—Charlotte Simmonds (@CharSimmonds) March 20, 2020
Source: The Guardian
Deer have been spotted hanging out in streets and subway stations in Japan.
Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images
Source: The Guardian
And Barcelona residents say they have seen wild boars wander their streets.
REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File Photo
—Alfons López Tena (@alfonslopeztena) March 19, 2020
Source: The Guardian
Ducks wandered into the streets of Paris in the fourth week of a national lockdown in France.
Xinhua News Agency / Contributor via Getty Images
Source: Getty Images
A peacock was also spotted outside a deserted shopping center in Dubai.
KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images
Source: Getty Images
Cows took over a beach usually frequented by tourists in Corsica, France.
PASCAL POCHARD-CASABIANCA/AFP via Getty Images
Source: Getty Images
This young puma wandered from the mountains outside Santiago, Chile, into the streets while looking for food.
ANDRES PINA/ATON CHILE/AFP via Getty Images
Source: Getty Images
Londoners also spotted a wild fox in their streets.
Ollie Millington/Getty Images
Source: Getty Images
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