'We've never seen this': wildlife thrives in closed US national parks

Deer, bobcats and black bears are gathering around parts of Yosemite national park typically teeming with visitors

Earlier this month, for the first time in recent memory, pronghorn antelope ventured into the sun-scorched lowlands of Death Valley national park. Undeterred by temperatures that climbed to over 110F, the animals were observed by park staff browsing on a hillside not far from Furnace Creek visitor center.

This is something we haven't seen in our lifetimes," said Kati Schmidt, a spokesperson for the National Parks Conservation Association. We've known they're in some of the higher elevation areas of Death Valley but as far as we're aware they've never been documented this low in the park, near park headquarters."