Travel and coronavirus: Lions cat nap on tourist-free roads at Kruger National Park, South Africa

A pride of lions from South Africa's Kruger National Park was caught napping on an empty road that would otherwise be filled with tourists.

Park ranger Richard Sowry, who is an "essential service" employee to ensure the welfare of the animals, snapped the photos Wednesday, three weeks after wildlife parks in the country were shutdown due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

As of Friday, South Africa had 2,605 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 48 deaths linked to the virus, according to Johns Hopkins data.

Typically, lions and tigers only roam paved roads at night, when the park is closed to guests. But Isaac Phaahla, a communications and marketing manager at the park, explained that the "animals must have realised that there has not been traffic since the lockdown" and taken advantage of the newfound space.

Sowry told the BBC that he captured the photos while driving on the road and pulled up less than 16 feet away from the big cats to take the photo.

Phaahla said that animals tend to be less afraid of vehicles, while a "walking individual" is associated with danger.

One concern, however, is that the animals will get too accustomed to sleeping on the roads once the lockdown ends.

It's another instance of animals slowly adapting to a new routine as tourists and visitors stop visiting parks, zoos and aquariums during the coronavirus pandemic.