LA's skies are smog-free and peacocks are roaming the streets of Dubai. Photos show how nature has returned to cities shut down by the coronavirus pandemic.

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LA's skies are smog-free and peacocks are roaming the streets of Dubai. Photos show how nature has returned to cities shut down by the coronavirus pandemic.
Herds of mountain goats that normally live outside Llandudno, Wales, have taken over while the town's human residents are staying indoors.Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images

Social distancing might not just slow the spread of the novel coronavirus — it might also give the environment a break from the pollution of modern life.

Cities across the globe have reported reductions in air pollution as daily life has come to a grinding halt because of the pandemic. Governments around the world have asked people to practice social distancing (or mandated nationwide lockdown measures) to slow its spread.

Keep reading to see how urban environments have changed amid the coronavirus crisis.

Read the original article on Business Insider
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Londoners also spotted a wild fox in their streets.

Londoners also spotted a wild fox in their streets.
Ollie Millington/Getty Images

Source: Getty Images

This young puma wandered from the mountains outside Santiago, Chile, into the streets while looking for food.

This young puma wandered from the mountains outside Santiago, Chile, into the streets while looking for food.
ANDRES PINA/ATON CHILE/AFP via Getty Images

Source: Getty Images

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Cows took over a beach usually frequented by tourists in Corsica, France.

Cows took over a beach usually frequented by tourists in Corsica, France.
PASCAL POCHARD-CASABIANCA/AFP via Getty Images

Source: Getty Images

A peacock was also spotted outside a deserted shopping center in Dubai.

A peacock was also spotted outside a deserted shopping center in Dubai.
Stores in Dubai are closed to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images

Source: Getty Images

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Ducks wandered into the streets of Paris in the fourth week of a national lockdown in France.

Ducks wandered into the streets of Paris in the fourth week of a national lockdown in France.
A duck wanders an empty Parisian street on April 6. Xinhua News Agency / Contributor via Getty Images

Source: Getty Images

And Barcelona residents say they have seen wild boars wander their streets.

And Barcelona residents say they have seen wild boars wander their streets.
A deserted Passeig de Colom is pictured during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Barcelona, Spain, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File Photo
—Alfons López Tena (@alfonslopeztena) March 19, 2020

Source: The Guardian

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Deer have been spotted hanging out in streets and subway stations in Japan.

Deer have been spotted hanging out in streets and subway stations in Japan.
Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

Source: The Guardian

Wild turkeys were spotted having some fun on a closed elementary school playground in California.

Wild turkeys were spotted having some fun on a closed elementary school playground in California.
Playground in California where the turkeys roamed not pictured. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
—Charlotte Simmonds (@CharSimmonds) March 20, 2020

Source: The Guardian

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Goats roamed the streets, sunbathed on the grounds of a church, nibbled hedges, and trespassed through a few gardens in one Welsh town as human pedestrians stayed home to practice social distancing.

Goats roamed the streets, sunbathed on the grounds of a church, nibbled hedges, and trespassed through a few gardens in one Welsh town as human pedestrians stayed home to practice social distancing.
Mountain goats roam the streets of Llandudno, Wales, on March 31, 2020. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Source: Insider

You can see straight to the bottom, and fish have returned to some parts.

You can see straight to the bottom, and fish have returned to some parts.
A view shows clearer waters by a gondola in a Venice canal on March 17, 2020 as a result of the stoppage of motorboat traffic, following the country's lockdown within the new coronavirus crisis. ANDREA PATTARO/AFP via Getty Images

Source: Insider

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With less boat traffic, the water in Venice's canals is clear instead of its usual murky green color.

With less boat traffic, the water in Venice's canals is clear instead of its usual murky green color.
REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri

Source: Insider

So has the air quality in major cities like New York City, Seattle, and San Francisco as shelter-in-place orders have dramatically reduced car travel.

So has the air quality in major cities like New York City, Seattle, and San Francisco as shelter-in-place orders have dramatically reduced car travel.
Shutterstock.com

Source: NBC News

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Italy's air quality has also improved.

Italy's air quality has also improved.
An empty street in Rome, Italy. Alberto Lingria/Reuters

Source: Insider

... and in Los Angeles.

... and in Los Angeles.
The typical smog-filled LA skyline. Shutterstock/J Dennis
—Laura J. Nelson (@laura_nelson) March 26, 2020
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Skies are free of smog in some parts of China ...

Skies are free of smog in some parts of China ...
NASA recorded a sustained drop in the levels of noxious nitrogen dioxide after the Lunar New Year. NASA