During the ongoing lockdown, nature has started to revive itself. Rare birds and animals are starting to come out of hiding. Reports of spotting birds like Western crowned leaf warbler, Grey treepie, Slaty-headed parakeet and Tiger Flycatcher have come from Mussoorie. People residing near Yamuna River say that the water is cleaner due to the lockdown. The dip in air pollution is leading to clearer skies and migratory birds can fly freely without human interference or threat. It all seems like nature is taking a breath of fresh air with the lack of human activity.

But as animals are getting bolder and they have started venturing into human territories amid the lockdown. Cases of animal attacks have come from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, according to reports over 13 people have died after being attacked by wild animals.

The lack of activities and the silence is has caused is giving these animals a false sense of expanded territory. This is making them venture outside their boundaries into human habitats. Reports of animal sightings are coming from around the country. A Himalayan Black bear, who woke up from hibernation ventured into Gangtok, Sikkim in search of food. According to a local news article, the bear reached the BSNL office where he attacked a junior engineer who saw the bear while leaving from office early in the morning, but before he could seek shelter the bear had already attacked him. The bear was later tranquillized by the forest department and later sent back to the forests.

Another sighting came from Mumbai of a leopard which caught on camera running through a colony. The sightings of these big cats have increased ever since the lockdown started. A female leopard was captured alive by the wildlife department near Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir which was later captured and sent to the zoo, her cubs, however, have been reported to have escaped to the forest said a PTI report. Leopards were also seen in Mussoorie and Dehra Dun, causing panic among people.

Animals venturing into human territories has led to many animal attacks cases as well, tigers and elephants have killed four persons each, while bears and leopards have claimed the lives of two persons each. A wild boar also attacked and killed one person. All these incidents happened in and around the forest areas in Seoni, Shahdol, Ratlam, Anuppur, Sidhi and other districts of Madhya Pradesh.

Meanwhile, reports also say that nine persons were killed by leopards, tigers, bears and wild boars and four were killed by elephants in Chhattisgarh including a nine-year-old tribal girl who was out picking mahua flowers.

Forest officials have advised people to play loud music and travel in packs whenever they must go out. As with the ongoing lockdown, more animals are likely to venture out of the forests in search of new territories.