OTTO CARRINGTON
The restrictions caused by the spread of COVID-19 appear to be allowing wildlife to venture into places that they don’t normally frequent.
Forest Ranger Kishan Ramcharan yesterday shared a video on social media, which drew a lot of traction with a family of Neotropical River Otters swimming in a river in the city centre in Rio Claro.
The video was recorded last week Friday along the Naparima Mayaro Road.
Otters are rarely seen in Trinidad and Tobago as the animal is quite elusive and solitary.
“Otters are usually very solitary so you wouldn’t find them outside see them out too much seeing that it’s an urban area in Rio Claro a lot of human activity a lot of traffic passing there so it begs to differ that these animals are seeing less traffic moving less activity so we are assuming this is why they are out”, Ramcharan said.
He added the video was recorded by a close relative and it was hard to miss because of the splashing as the animals headed upstream.
“There wasn’t much water in the river so they were probably looking for a place where they are more free-flowing water,” he said.
Globally there have been sightings of wild animals in urban spaces, as many across the world stay isolated to protect themselves from the spread of COVID-19.
“I can only assume these sightings are due to less human activity out because of the restriction of the coronavirus I definitely think that animals would release something is different and the place is more quiet and they will tend to venture out” he added.
He added, “I will like the urge the public as we are at the closure of the hunting season at the end of February we not suppose to be hunting any animals because of the law the wildlife act, so as animals may tend to come out a little bit more. We have iguanas being spotted the opossum or the manicou moving around a little bit more. And these animals will tend to be more a little more brave as a lot of us are inside and I am urging you all, I am pleading to the public that to help conserve the wildlife that we have here in Trinidad, we have to make it seen for our kids in the future so they could understand and see these animals live.”