Coronavirus: Animals takeover cities during self-isolation

In San Felipe, where restaurants and bars have closed and tourist traffic is almost nonexistent, Matt Larsen has noticed some new visitors on the beach near his home. “There were three raccoons, just frolicking along right at the edge of the surf,” said Larsen, the director of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. “I’ve lived here six years, and it was something I had never seen before.”

Spotted on the playground at the elementary school next door, which has been closed for several days ... wild turkeys! That’s a first. #coronavirus #westoakland pic.twitter.com/tGA4y1l09c

— Charlotte Simmonds (@CharSimmonds) March 20, 2020

The beach, which is right by the presidential palace, is usually kept clear by security guards, said Larsen, who directs the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. “But normally there are people all around; the streets are almost always crowded with foreign visitors and Panamanian tourists,” he said.