For decades we humans have been guilty of destroying the natural habitat of countless wildlife species. But Covid-19 has given nature the chance to turn the tables on us a little – and there is a lot of evidence emerging on just how this has been happening in the UAE.
While we people have been largely confined to our homes for the last three months, animals have been reclaiming our habitat. While we have been forced indoors, animals have been going out, roaming around the streets of the UAE’s cities and enjoying the waters undisturbed by swimmers, boats and jet skis.
The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi reports an increase in the numbers of rare birds. Flamingos, which are often seen in the area where the Eastern Mangroves in Abu Dhabi city meet the open sea, have also been spotted in new areas and breeding numbers are up by 12 percent, with 1,260 nests found this year.
More breeding has also been noted at the Al Wathba Wetland reserve, with more Kentish birds and black-winged stilts in evidence.
In Dubai, mountain gazelles were seen roaming the streets and in the gardens around Jebel Ali during the lockdown period. They have also been spotted on the golf course on Saadiyat island in Abu Dhabi.
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