With vehicles keeping off the roads due to the lockdown, there was an unusual visitor at nearby Meppayoo,a small Indian Civet, which is believed to have traversed a long distance from a forest to reach the city.
The civet was seen crossing the main road on Thursday afternoon in Meppayoor bazaar, much to the amusement and surprise of onlookers who were confused over the identity of the animal.
Some said the animal was the rare Malabar Civet, but according to Dr Abdulla Paleri, a zoology teacher of a nearby school, it was the Small Indian Civet.
"It must be because of the deserted roads and the near-silent ambience all around that the animal came out from its habitat and reached the town, Dr Abdulla said.
Given that there is no forest anywhere nearby, the authorities feel that the animal must have come out from some far away forest area and moved to the town during midnight.
The Civet must have travelled several kilometres from somewhere in the Western Ghats or some plantations to reach the bazaar by mid-day, he said.
The sources opined that the Civet must be pretty old as it had bad eyesight.
Otherwise it would not have appeared on the road where some policemen were present as part of patrolling, they said.
