Only now are we becoming aware of how much we miss nature: People in quarantine, animals and plants are discovering freedom

In the first days of the quarantine, the inhabitants of the world's metropolises rediscovered the chirping of birds.

Wild pigs were seen on the streets of Barcelona, ​​a wild cougar walked through the capital of Chile, Santiago de Chile, and dolphins are reuniting in flocks in the Mediterranean Sea...

"Given that there are fewer people on the streets, wild animals that live in the vicinity of cities are walking more and more freely in their streets," said the director of research at the Paris State Museum of Natural History, Roman Gilard.

He cited foxes as an example.

"They change their behavior very quickly. When they discover a quiet place, they start to explore it".

Animals and birds that live in urban parks, such as sparrows, pigeons and crows, can now leave their usual territory and "make room for other animals", Hina agency reports.

"And are the birds, usually "invisible" to city dwellers, now more numerous? Rather, I would say that in the new circumstances we can hear them better. Some of them stop chirping when it's noisy, but now they sing non-stop," said an expert from the National Naturalist of the Jerome Suer Museum.

The noise disturbs them in their usual activities and causes them stress. He believes that this absence of people on the streets will benefit the animals during their reproductive period in the spring.

"You could say that the animals are now deprived of the pollution and noise created by humans," says Suer.

Both in the countryside and at sea, wild animals are likely to profit from the great "human quarantine".

In France, according to Hina, due to the quarantine, the hunting season ended earlier than usual.

The quarantine came at a time when the mating season is in full swing for certain animal species. This is also the case with common frogs and salamanders, which, when crossing roads, are often cars.

Seagulls, which nest on the sandy shores of Lora, are usually disturbed and disturbed by people at this time. Now there are no more walkers, pets or boats.

In the Calanque National Park, not far from Marseille, which is closed to walkers and boaters, "nature and animal species are finding their natural habitat at a speed that surprises us," says park manager Didier Reolt.

It's the same with plants. A protected species of wild orchids blooms in late April and early May. Walkers usually pick them up, but that might not happen this year.

And the unmown city meadows are full of wildflowers, sources of nectar and pollen for bumblebees, bees and butterflies.

For scientists, in the new situation, perhaps the most important fact is that people's attitude and attention to nature has changed. People are forced to live in closed spaces and only now are they becoming aware of the extent to which they lack nature.

From the windows of their apartments or in their gardens, they all have more time to rediscover nature and observe the wondrous changes.

But the quarantine could be bad for animal species that are used to feeding on human waste.

Another disadvantage of the quarantine is that actions to help endangered species and the fight against some invasive species are suddenly stopped, according to Loic Obled, deputy director of the French Biodiversity Office.

And finally, a gradual exit from the quarantine will have to be thought of.

The birds that were nesting in the area of ​​the abandoned school yard will be disturbed and frightened, and their rest will be short-lived.

"People will long for nature, and the sudden load could have a negative effect on the flora and fauna," experts warn.