Health
Shutdown of Yosemite National Park Due to Coronavirus Allows Wildlife to Come Out of Hiding
The COVID-19 pandemic has kept crowds of tourists away from California’s Yosemite National Park. This has caused an abundance of wildlife in the area.
The park closed on March 20th. Since then, only 100 to 200 park service employees and an unknown number of concessionaire workers remained.
According to The Los Angeles Times, of the almost 4.6 million tourists that visited the valley in 2019, around 308,000 came in April. However, for this year, “the air was crystal clear — not a hint of diesel or exhaust tainted the sweet, spring breeze.” The only sound in the valley is the “the rushing waters of the Merced River and the wind blowing through the ponderosa pines.”
Coyotes, bobcats and bears: Wildlife is reclaiming Yosemite National Park We must learn from the current crisis to help people & planet thrive in harmony without the shutdown. ✊🌎🌱💙👏 https://t.co/phCM8fAc18 #GenerationSea #rewilding
— Hugo Tagholm (@HugoSAS) April 14, 2020
The absence of tourists has allowed wildlife to come out in areas where they are rarely seen. “You couldn’t ask for a better place to be isolated,” said Warren McClain who has worked in the park since 2017.
McCain and his co-workers said wildlife is coming out of hiding. This phenomenon also happened during previous shutdowns – 1990, 1995, 2013, and 2019. “The bear population has quadrupled,” said Dane Peterson. “It’s not like they aren’t usually here,” he said referring to the bears, bobcats, and coyotes. “It’s that they usually hang back at the edges, or move in the shadows,” he then added.
Fox News also reported that the near lack of diesel or exhaust has made the air cleaner.
Over the weekend, officials said that the area is free of coronavirus cases. The park’s current condition may be similar to how it was in the 19th century.
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