Nilgai spotted in Noida amid lockdown; residents, Twitterati surprised

Just two days into the COVID-19 lockdown, a Nilgai, or Blue Bull, was spotted roaming on a once-teeming thoroughfare outside a popular shopping mall here on Friday, taking residents and Twitterati by surprise.

While locals claimed that the animal was last seen sauntering on the city roads in the 1990s, the Twitterati said it was the "nature taking over".

Multiple videos on Twitter showed the Nilgai wandering on the Ashok Marg outside the Great India Place Mall in Sector 38A, opposite the commercial hub of Sector 18.

The area which is known for its bustling malls, restaurants, markets and round-the-clock traffic has been eerily quiet as Noida along with the rest of the country is under lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Gautam Buddh Nagar, close to river Yamuna, has a recorded presence of Nilgai, Divisional Forest Officer P K Shrivastava said.

"The wild animal might have strayed into the urban area due to almost nil presence of people and vehicles on the road. No untoward incident has been reported," Shrivastava told PTI.

A lot of people were amazed to see a Nilgai in the city.

"In 1994 there were over 10 Nilgai which could be found roaming within Sector-18 and we had to make complaints to the Noida Authority. We are seeing this after 15 years," Sushil Kumar Jain, president of Sector-18 market association, said.

He said Nilgai also live within the Biodiversity Park near Sector-92 and sometimes they come out on the road, posing a risk to traffic movement.

Commenting on a video of the animal on Twitter, a woman said it was the "nature taking over".

Another said, "Human is inside homes and animal is roaming free outside. This is mother nature in repair mode.