The coronavirus spell has given Nature respite to reclaim her own

The popular theory is that the coronavirus infected its first human victim when it “jumped” from a bat — or a pangolin.

If true, then Nature is exacting its own sweet revenge against mankind for uprooting animal species from their natural habitats and selling them as food to humans at “wet” markets such as in China’s Wuhan city, where the virus first emerged.

Humans have rightly come to fear the new virus. That must have been what Nature precisely intended.

As the world went into lockdowns, the animals of the wild started to reclaim the deserted territory — if only for the period we remain indoors until something is found to get rid of the virus.

Many of us have come across images that went viral (excuse the pun) of a troop of monkeys that took over a swimming pool in an upscale residential complex that was under lockdown in the Indian city of Mumbai.

As they play and chase one another all over the compound, the troop leader, as if doing a demonstration for the benefit of the hidden cameraman, jumps from a balcony into the pool, where the other monkeys join in for a dip. All have a jolly good time.

AIR QUALITY

I recently watched an illuminating video about this whole back-to-nature drama. When Singapore went into shutdown, otters freely took over open public spaces and parks, lolling in the sun without any care in the world.

In Tel Aviv, a family of wild geese was spotted roaming the tarmac of Ben Gurion airport and cackling noisily under parked planes grounded by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In normal times, the busy airport would have been off limits for the birds as was crowded Tel Aviv city itself.

A friend even posted online images of cows lazing on an empty beach that looked like somewhere on the East African coast.

Some Nairobi residents were even claiming the reduced vehicle traffic has improved air quality so much that they can clearly see Mt Kenya’s peaks every day.

An exaggeration perhaps: the sightings depend on the mountain’s cloud cover.

Under the stress of forced lockdowns, people understandably fall for tall online tales that make them feel good during a gloomy time.

For instance, a widely circulated story about dolphins and swans reappearing in Venice’s famous, tourist-clogged canals was fake.

UPLIFTING STORIES

So was another about a herd of elephants lumbering through a village in Yunnan, China, then getting drunk off corn wine, and passing out in a tea garden.

But most others have been real — and uplifting. Like that of a puma seen wandering the streets of Santiago, Chile. Or wild turkeys gallivanting in Oakland, California. Or deer strolling leisurely in railway stations across Japan.

My best was a pair of adorable penguins — Edward and Annie — who were doing the rounds of Chicago’s aquarium, which has been closed to the public.

Walking side by side in that peculiar penguin shuffle as they did their inspection of the place, you felt their exhilaration with no single human soul in sight. They were truly having a blast.

The coronavirus could be sending a warning to us: don't mess up with Planet Earth. Or Nature will fight back and destroy you.

* * *

I’m usually charitable when it comes to the Chinese and tend to give them the benefit of the doubt, knowing all too well the nasty media propaganda they are subjected to by the West.

Yet lately I can’t help but be disgusted as reports stream in of their dastardly treatment of Africans living in their country.

Africans are being accused of threatening a resurgence of Covid-19. They are being forced to redo tests, and to go on a second quarantine. This is unfair.

In fact it is China that has a lot to answer for amid reports that she initially suppressed information on the coronavirus outbreak which would have better prepared the world to defend itself.

I have no doubt that China’s government sincerely wants good relations with African countries. The problem is with many ordinary Chinese whose attitudes toward Africans leave a lot to be desired.

What really irks is to hear Africans being thrown out of rented premises by their Chinese landlords and being made to sleep on cold street pavements; of being frogmarched out of supermarkets and denied service in other shopping outlets, and such other indignities.

Is this what the hyped China-Africa friendship amounts to? My foot! I salute Nigeria for making tough remonstrations about it to the Chinese authorities.

Shamefully, our own government sought to make excuses for Chinese misbehaviour, claiming the evictions by landlords was to comply with Chinese regulations on social distancing. We must demand stronger action. From the AU too! We have some leverage!

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