First it was dolphins showing up along the Italian coastline. Now, a jellyfish has appeared in the Venice canal.
A biologist in Italy recorded startling footage earlier this month of a near-transparent jellyfish swimming in the crystal-clear waters of the Venice canals as the city’s waterways continued to clear up amid the ongoing coronavirus lockdown.
Biologist Andrea Mangoni recorded the footage near St. Mark’s Square, a typically popular tourist destination in Venice, on Easter Sunday, April 12.
The jellyfish was swimming “only a few inches below the water surface,” Mangoni told CNN.
Italy has been in lockdown for over a month due to the threat of COVID-19, which has killed more than 26,000 people in the country and more than 200,000 around the world.
In the midst of that loss, some have found a silver lining in the way that nature appears to be bouncing back during a period of reduced human activity. Last month, for example, dolphins were spotted near the Italian coast, prompting excitement and claims that “nature is healing” now that humans have stepped back.
Venice officials say the city’s canals have cleared up over the last month because boat traffic is no longer stirring up sediment in the water.
In other words, nature hasn’t exactly “healed” from the pollution caused by humans, but it’s enjoying a little break right now.
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Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
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— With files from Reuters