Thanks to the pandemic which has essentially stopped cruise ships and dramatically reduced passenger ferries from coming and going into the capital, dolphins are returning to the Tejo river.
Says a report by Reuters, it’s one aspect of these difficult times that “is putting a smile on people’s faces”.
Lisbon council has uploaded some heartwarming images on its social media page, saying; “We’ve all heard the stories about the Dolphins of the Tejo that used to swim here… well now they’re back!”
The constraints of the pandemic has seen the quality of the estuary waters improve and the river “win new life” with one particularly friendly pod of dolphins now regular visitors.
Marine biologist Francisco Martinho tells Reuters it’s not just because the river is more peaceful that dolphins have returned (he describes ‘various groups’ being seen regularly, some involving dozens), it’s because there are now “more fish than usual for them to eat”.
A bit like the images of animals everywhere venturing into residential areas when the world went into lockdown, the development shows how Nature ‘always comes back’ if we just ease up on all the frantic progress.
image: credited to Ana Sofia Serra and Luis Filipe Catarino from the Câmara Municipal de Lisboa
