Stories from the last weeks of lockdown would lead you to believe that wildlife have overrun the national capital.
Kangaroos roaming the streets and swimming in Lake Burley Griffin, ravens taking down drones, and now magpies claiming parts of the city. Here's a recap of some of the animal-themed stories which have captivated Canberrans of late.
Obviously this piece was going to include magpies
You may think you're committed to "doing it for the gram", but are you as committed as The Canberra Times photographer Sitthixay Ditthavong to getting that perfect shot?
He captured this footage of new nemesis, and resident magpie of Bowen Park, swooping as he cycled by Lake Burley Griffin.
However, only about 10 cent of magpies will ever swoop, behavioural ecologist Professor Daryll Jones told The Canberra Times' reporter Lanie Tindale in August, for her story on how to make peace with magpies.
"The males are trying to keep away what they see as a threat from their precious babies," he said.
Ravens launch attack on delivery drones
As Edgar Allan Poe once said, ravens are hella creepy.
They also may be smarter than us, and appear to be learning how to attack the delivery drones which are criss-crossing the skies of Canberra. One pair is getting better at it by the day, according to a witness.
"It's a matter of time before they bring one down," Ben Roberts told Steve Evans earlier this week.
The angry bird attack has forced the drone company to suspend flights over the area.
It's hard to know what birds make of a drone. It must appear truly weird and presumably threatening to their territory.
"They think it's Terminator or something," Mr Roberts reckons.
Kangaroos take back the city
The same kangaroo was spotted confronting a cyclist before it was seen sitting in the lake near Regatta Point.
Passerby, Penelope Twemlow said the kangaroo "was visibly in shock and shaking quite badly," and after a few minutes of trying to calm the creature, she and a couple of bystanders decided to step into the lake and help the creature our.
After extracting the kangaroo and returning it to a grassy patch nearby though, it "started to essentially fight one of the gentlemen again and then jumped straight back in the water and swam out to the middle of Lake Burley Griffin," she said.
A number of locals called services such as Access Canberra to help the animal.
Meantime, a TikToker has spotted kangaroos enjoying Canberra nightlife as annoying humans have vacated the streets.
Canberrans can contact RSPCA ACT or ACT Wildlife if they spot an injured animal, or contact Access Canberra to be directed to the appropriate service.
