Cities turn into animal kingdoms during coronavirus lockdown

This incredible picture shows a red deer stag standing with the British city of Bristol in the background. Sam Binding, 39, was out walking his dog when he encountered the animal in the historic gardens of Ashton Court stately home. He pulled out his camera and the stag turned to look at him just as he fired off this frame.

This stag is not the only deer that's gone for a city tour:

A woman feeds a fallow deer from Dagnam Park near her home as they rest and graze on a patch of woodland outside homes on a housing estate in Harold Hill, near Romford, England, April 2, 2020. /Leon Neal, Getty Images via VCG

A man stops to photograph the fallow deer from Dagnam Park, England, April 2, 2020. /Leon Neal, Getty Images via VCG

A woman stops to watch the fallow deer from Dagnam Park, England, April 2, 2020. /Leon Neal, Getty Images via VCG

A sika deer walks past a souvenir store at a temple on March 12, 2020 in Nara, Japan. Some groups of deer have begun roaming in the city's residential areas due to a shortage of food, according to media reports. They are partially fed by tourists. /Tomohiro Ohsumi, Getty Images via VCG

Sika deer cross a road in Nara, Japan, March 12, 2020. /Tomohiro Ohsumi, Getty Images via VCG

It's a scene that's becoming rarer and rarer: A wild animal in a modern city. However due to COVID-19 lockdowns, wildlife encounters are becoming more frequent in even the largest, most crowded cities worldwide. During the spread of coronavirus, animals are becoming less cautious and coming into town as people stay at home. Without as many humans and traffic as there used to be, animals seem to be feeling more comfortable in metropolises including London, Chicago, Rome and Ankara.

Mountain goats roam the streets of LLandudno, Wales, March 31, 2020. /Christopher Furlong, Getty Images via VCG

Mountain goats roam the streets of LLandudno in Wales, March 31, 2020. /Christopher Furlong, Getty Images via VCG

A number of stray horses take streets, roads and parks in Izmir, Turkey, April 12, 2020. /Orhan Fatih Dogan, Getty Images via VCG

A stray horse crosses the road in Izmir, Turkey, April 12, 2020. /Orhan Fatih Dogan, Getty Images via VCG

Seagulls fly around at a fish market in the Turkish capital Ankara on March 3, 2020. Ankara is located in the center of Turkey with a nearest coastline 270 kilometers away. /Aytac Unal, Getty Images via VCG

A hungry seagull tries to open up a garbage bag in Rome, Italy, April 9, 2020. /Stefano Montesi, Corbis/Getty Images via VCG

Seagulls fly over a fish market in the Turkish capital Ankara, March 3, 2020. /Aytac Unal, Getty Images via VCG

A long tailed macaques (macaca fascicularis) holds a plastic bottle on the roadside of Padang City, Indonesia, April 1, 2020. /Desrian Eristha, Getty Images via VCG

A goat is seen in Llandudno, Wales, Britain, March 31, 2020. /Carl Recine via VCG

Daylight robbery: A rat attacks a sparrow in the empty La Bola shopping street, in downtown Ronda, southern Spain, April 3, 2020. /Jon Nazca via VCG

(Cover image via VCG)

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com)