Coronavirus shutdown: Aquarium opens animal live-streams in lieu of public visits
Edward and Annie take an excursion through Shedd Aquarium, free to roam in the absence of human visitors. Photo: Shedd Aquarium
For the inhabitants of Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, the coronavirus lockdown has a silver lining.
Like many public attractions, the US site has shut down to public visitors until at least the end of March.
But that doesn’t mean everyone has gone home – the permanent residents (the animals) and their carers (aquarium staffers) are still hanging out around the clock.
As the world shifts into a new mindset of working from home – and not going stir crazy in the process – the aquarium is coming up with some novel ways to entertain itself, and the outside world.
This week, Shedd’s penguins made like Ferris Bueller and had a day off from the Arctic, visiting the Amazon, south-east Asia, and even the reception desk.
“Some of the penguins went on a field trip to meet other animals at Shedd. Wellington seemed most interested in the fishes in Amazon Rising!,” the aquarium posted on social media.
“Other animals like the black-barred silver dollars also seemed interested in their unusual visitors.”
Shedd’s socials are sure to be a highlight of internet lockdown viewing in the next couple of weeks, as its paired-up penguins prepare to go into nesting mode.
Edward and Annie, a pair of rockhopper penguins, will begin building their nests from next week, the aquarium said, and eager twitchers will be able to watch the process online.
