Zoologist Andrea Mangoni
Italy’s lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic has kept the gondolas and the tourists out of the Venice waterways … and wildlife is taking advantage of it.
This jellyfish was seen casually swimming through the now crystal clear canals, seemingly without a care in the world. Look at it, totally oblivious to the COVID-19 crisis responsible for it getting some R&R in Venice.
😳 😳 😳 #venice
An unexpected side effect of the pandemic: 💧Water’s flowing through the canals of Venice is clear for the first time in forever.
🐟 🦢 The fish are visible, the swans returned pic.twitter.com/crWf4kdZ1M— Aurel Boriçi (@AurelBoriciBT) March 18, 2020
@AurelBoriciBT
The clear and boat-free canal water, due to the country’s lockdown, has brought out more than jellyfish too — fish are visible again and swans have been able to chill out.
However, the clearer water doesn’t necessarily mean it’s much cleaner. A Venice official says less action on the canals simply allows gross stuff to stay at the bottom, adding … “It’s because there is less boat traffic that usually brings sediment to the top of the water’s surface.”
Still pretty cool … for the jellyfish.