Tune in to the Zoo and Aquarium

Date: 25/03/2020

People are being encouraged to stay home in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, and many zoos and aquariums around the world have had to temporarily close to the public to help reduce the spread of the disease. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy your local zoo or aquarium, or even ones on the other side of the world! A number of WAZA members have live stream cameras, allowing you to see some of your favourite animals, and some are offering virtual tours via Facebook Live, while others are sharing useful educational resources for home-schooling your children. Click here for the post with educational resources. 

Monterey Bay Aquarium, USA

If the news is making you feel a little frazzled, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Jelly Cam is exactly what you need to feel a sense of calm amidst the chaos. The aquarium has 10 live cams to choose from, including a sea otter cam and open sea cam, where you can watch a variety of open-ocean animals.

Sea nettles. Credit Monterey Bay Aquarium

Cincinnati Zoo and Botanic Garden, USA

The zoo may be temporarily closed to visitors, but it is still making children’s hiatus from school fun and educational. The zoo is doing a Facebook Live stream virtual safari every day at 3pm EDT. If you don’t manage to tune in live, you can still watch the videos on Cincinnati Zoo’s Facebook page, YouTube channel or their website.

Edinburgh Zoo, UK

Edinburgh Zoo, in Scotland, has a number of live cams to choose from, including giant panda Yang Guang, koala cam and penguin cam. It is currently gentoo breeding season at the zoo, so you can watch all the penguins’ antics as they pick a breeding mate and squabble over stolen pebbles.

Gentoo penguin and chick. Credit: Edinburgh Zoo

Houston Zoo, USA

Houston Zoo in the USA has six different webcams to choose from, including giraffes, gorillas, elephants and rhinos. Tune in every day from 7am-7pm CST.

Western lowland gorilla. Credit: Houston Zoo

Zoo Heidelberg, Germany

Zoo Heidelberg  in Germany, is filming regular videos and taking guests on tours through the zoo, reporting on the animals and the zoo team taking care of the residents in the zoo.

Georgia Aquarium, USA

Catch up with the beluga whales, Californian sea lions, puffins and piranhas at Georgia Aquarium, or relax with the soothing sights of the topical diver coral reef cam.

Brookfield Zoo, USA

The Brookfield Zoo has started a daily “Bring the Zoo to You” live stream on Facebook, where keepers will take you through the zoo and cover a special topic every day. Meet some of the zoo residents and learn interesting facts about them. Join in daily at 11am CST.

San Diego Zoo, USA

The San Diego Zoo has more than 10 live cams to choose from, including baboons, polar bears, apes, koalas, burrowing owls, Californian condors and more, as well as archival footage of giant pandas Bai Yun and Xiao Liwu.

Polar Bear. Credit: San Diego Zoo

Zoo Praha, Czechia

Zoo Praha in Czechia is sharing a series of short videos on the zoo’s YouTube channel. The brief videos capture different aspects of life in a zoo that is closed to the public. The videos show the different animals at the zoo and provide viewers with information, lessons learned, as well as a welcome distraction during the quarantine period. Six videos lasting half a minute to two minutes are published daily.

Tennessee Aquarium, USA

Tune into Tennessee Aquarium’s live cams to watch their gentoo and macaroni penguins’ playful antics, see the river otters frequently playing a game of hide-and-smell or take a virtual dive into the aquarium’s Secret Reef Exhibit, which is home to thousands of colourful reef fish, sharks and a rescued green sea turtle.

North American river otter. Credit: Tennessee Aquarium

The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) is the global alliance of regional associations, national federations, zoos and aquariums, dedicated to the care and conservation of animals and their habitats around the world.

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