Living through this pandemic has been more difficult for some than others. For wildlife, it’s definitely been a holiday; from lions occupying golf courses in South Africa to goats taking over a town in Wales, animals are having a blast in the world’s currently empty streets, towns, and parks while we’re stuck at home.
In the Israeli city of Haifa, wild boars and their babies have made themselves very much at home, trotting the streets in large numbers and rummaging through garbage for snacks.
Wild boars, some as bulky as Rottweilers and traveling in family packs, have been trotting through the Israeli city of Haifa in increasing numbers https://t.co/3QhRmdBpTH pic.twitter.com/RQo1FlHIrm
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 17, 2020
Although boars are common in this part of Israel, they usually wander the city at night when no one is around. Now that the streets are devoid of humans and cars 24/7, they roam wherever and whenever they please.
The heavy presence of the boars is so serious that it’s providing a further incentive for residents to stay indoors.
Meiraf Litani, a local music instructor, said to Reuters, “We are scared to go out, even to throw out the garbage. I don’t know which way the boars will come. They come here and turn over our garbage dumpsters… This is a lack of protection. We actually feel defenseless.”
To assuage residents’ fears and keep everyone safe, “pig patrols” consisting of animal-rights activists have formed to shoo the board away and keep residents safe.
Yaron Hanan, who runs a campaign aimed at cracking down on the boar invasion, said, “I’m scared that after the coronavirus passes, the boars will have gotten used to coming every day, every night, every hour.”
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