Wildlife activity pattern at Bukit Kudung in Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia during the COVID-19 lockdown

Since 2020, COVID-19 has affected the world. Human activities stopped,impacting industries like aviation and entertainment. Eco-tourism areas,like forests and rivers, saw less human activity, allowing wildlife to roamfreely. We conducted a wildlife survey in a forest area close to a river usedas an eco-tourism area. Camera trap data revealed that during the lockdownperiod, the habitat was used by mammal species such as the Asian elephant(Elephas maximus), Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus), Malayan sun bear(Helarctos malayanus), Asiatic golden cat (Catopuma temminckii), yellowthroated marten (Martes flavigula), barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak),Malayan porcupine (Hystrix brachyura), wild boar (Sus scrofa), as well asunidentified Primates and Rodentia. This is the first study to highlight thepresence of wildlife species in this study location during the lockdown. Theknowledge gained about the presence of wildlife species in the absence ofhuman activity due to the outbreak of COVID-19 could raise awareness ofthe effects of human disturbance on wildlife. Therefore, future managementand conservation strategies in the spaces shared between wildlife andhumans can be developed to maintain well-being and harmony, particularlyemphasizing the importance of core conservation zones.