It’s safe to say that the coronavirus pandemic has changed all of our lives over the past few weeks and will continue to do so. The whole world has been ordered to stay inside and reduce human contact.
While we continue to get through these strange times, we’ve also seen the effects the virus has had on animals—some negative, some positive.
Maybe the most striking is how wildlife has returned to some areas now that there are no humans outside. That’s the case for one town in Wales, where a herd of goats have taken the opportunity to take over!
Llandudno, a seaside town in north Wales, has been overrun with mountain goats. These goats graze the Great Orme headland, rarely making contact with their nearby human neighbors.
“The goats live on the hill overlooking the town,” resident Carl Triggs told CNN. “They stay up there, very rarely venturing into the street.”
They’re usually scared of people, but with the UK on lockdown and no humans about, the herd has decided to take a trip into town.
“There isn’t anyone else around so they probably decided they may as well take over,” town councillor Carol Marubbi told BBC.
“They are curious, goats are, and I think they are wondering what’s going on like everybody else.”
And while the goats have made themselves at home:
They’re still pretty skittish around the occasional human, making it clear they’ll be ready to head back to their territory once this is over:
“They’re scared of me,” wrote Andrew Stuart, a videographer who tweeted viral footage of the goats. “They don’t like people.”
This shows what it’s all about. They’re scared of me (a human) in this. They don’t like people. They usually only come down from the Great Orme when it’s windy, and only the back streets at the top of Mostyn Street. Now lockdown means it’s empty, they’re going further than ever. pic.twitter.com/roZpNm61Qh
— Andrew Stuart (@AndrewStuart) March 30, 2020
But for the time being, Llandudno is goat city. They’re running this place.
While the coronavirus lockdown has been hard on everyone, it’s still fascinating to see how wildlife responds to our self-isolation… an eerie glimpse into a world without humans.
But we’re happy to let the goats run things while we’re all inside! Share this incredible story!
