As they say: as one door shuts, another opens. So is the case with most of our public attractions and events in today's critical times. As these venues are shuttered due to COVID-19, new opportunities are now available for humans and zoo animals to take advantage of this downtime.
Due to the pandemic that's blanketed our land, we are all staying closer to home and abiding by the new hygienic rules of "social distancing."
However in its place, we can view livestreams of rescue dogs, penguins, elephants, jellyfish, a tropic coral reef and even a hippo celebrating her birthday with a festive cake. If you're getting cabin fever, and TV binge-watching just doesn't cut in, check out these animals who are "sheltered in place."
American Rescue Dog Show
The American Rescue Dog Show began its broadcasts Sunday, Feb. 16, at 8 p.m. ET on the Hallmark Channel. It’s also available to live stream through fuboTV and Sling.
Rescue dogs from around the country compete in pre-taped two-day novel competitions. Check out Hallmark's quirky dog matches for the Best in Belly Rubs, Best in Couch Potato, Best in Ears, Best in Senior Dogs, Best in Snoring, Best in Special Needs, Best in Talking, and Best in Underbite,
Happy Birthday Fiona the Hippo
In Cincinnati's Zoo, Facebook Live provides a lives stream of Fiona the hippo dining on her festive birthday cake. From the 'Hippo Cove,' she's welcomed into your home offices and living rooms. There's also a quiz for online visitors, with a sweepstake to win four tickets to the Zoo.
Fiona's mom Bibi also calls the Zoo her home. Mother and child are inseparable and even have their own mother-taught nickname: BiFi.
Mom was weighed in at 3,000 pounds and the daughter currently tips the scale at 29 pounds.
Penguins take a field trip . . .
At the Shedd Aquarium, Penguins in Chicago are considered showstoppers at this venue. As such, they are usually on the receiving end of folks viewing them. However, since the outbreak, they are able to get a taste of what it's like to be a visitor on a field trip. This past week, the rockhopper penguins were released from their habitats to explore the rest of the aquarium and fellow inhabitants.
Here the "The March of the King Penguins" were livestreamed leaving their birdhouse in lockstep . . .
"Without guests in the building, caretakers are getting creative in how they provide enrichment to animals," the aquarium told the Chicago Tribune. "Introducing new experiences, activities, foods and more to keep them active, encourage them to explore, problem-solve and express natural behaviors.
Other Zoos
Philadelphia-area zoos is also using technology to keep folks connected to animals while the zoos themselves are closed to the public since the onset of the virus.
The Philadelphia Zoo is now making available an insider’s view of its operations at the #PhillyZooAt2 live series. This allows viewers to virtually meet and interact with animals and staff at 2 p.m. every weekday.
The Cape May County Park and Zoo, which is normally open 364 days a year has been posting live daily lessons for its Facebook followers, and will do so on weekdays as long as the zoo is closed, officials said. The first lesson featured two singing siamang apes singing a smash hit with viewers.
“This was awesome! The singing was amazing. Some of the commentators asked the following: Does someone teach them the song or do they make it up on their own? How do they know when it’s 11:30 a.m. to start singing?” wrote Tara Voss Noriega, one of the hundreds of people who left messages on the zoo’s Facebook page.
