Coronavirus blues? Monterey Bay Aquarium live webcams offer wildlife diversion - The Mercury News

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Coronavirus blues? Monterey Bay Aquarium live webcams offer wildlife diversion - The Mercury News Posted: 17 Mar 2020 03:25 PM PDT Cooped up? Feeling anxious? Looking for a diversion for the kids? Or yourself? Until at least March 27, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. But you can still visit its famed animals — from sea otters to sharks to hypnotic moon jellies — through 10 live webcams. And the online crowds are growing fast. "Our webcams are still streaming," said Julie Packard, executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, in a tweet on Saturday. "Until we reopen, you can check in on the sea otters, sway with the kelp forest, find tranquility with the jellies and look for wildlife out on Monterey Bay." The free webcams are available from 7 a.m.to 7 p.m. Pacific time, on the aquarium's Facebook page,  its Youtube channel or the aquarium's website, at www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams. The webcams feature the sea otter tank, kelp forest tank, bird aviary, penguins, open sea tank, jellyfish tanks and live views of Monterey Bay. Most of the aquarium's more than 500 staff members are working from home. But key employees are remaining at the Cannery Row landmark to maintain the building's operations and oversee the welfare of the animals. That includes security crews, workers who feed and care for the animals, and workers who maintain the tanks and other facilities. The sea otters, sharks, sea turtles, fish, birds and other wildlife at the aquarium cannot get the COVID-19 coronavirus, said Ken Peterson, an aquarium spokesman. They are still being fed on the same schedules as before. "The animals are doing great," Peterson said. "They are getting the same level of care as they were before. We're closed on Christmas day. So it's kind of like that for them now." In the middle of a typical day, about 120 people are watching the aquarium wildlife cameras online live at any one time. With the coronavirus outbreak and large numbers of workers and students riding it out at home, that number has gone up more than eight-fold in recent days, to more than 1,000, Peterson said. The Monterey Bay Aquarium isn't alone in offering wildlife webcams. Other Northern California institutions that do include the Oakland Zoo, which has webcams for elephants, bears and other wildlife, the California Academy of Sciences, which features its coral reef, penguin exhibit, and a live webcam on the Farallon Islands, and the Ventana Wilderness Society in Big Sur, which showcases condors in the wild. "We're grateful to have the opportunity to lift people's spirits," Peterson said. "We can't welcome them in our doors but we are still there for them." On Monday, fans of the webcams gushed on the aquarium's Facebook site. "Watching from upstate New York. Thank you for something to laugh about!!!" wrote Nancy Rouse as the sea otters rubbed their paws together. "Thanks for sharing this feed!" wrote Toshiko Eng. "Something we all can enjoy during our county-wide shelter-in-place! Takes the stress away!" "We need this with no baseball, theater, or other normal activities," wrote Stuart Endick on the moon jelly cam. "Wish the jelly cam had TP!"

Chicago aquarium allows penguins to roam free during coronavirus closure, documents 'field trip' online - Fox News Posted: 17 Mar 2020 10:29 AM PDT Chicago's Shedd Aquarium is currently closed to the public to help stem the spread of coronavirus, but that isn't stopping its penguins from having the times of their lives. Caretakers at the Shedd Aquarium have decided to treat a few of the facility's most curious inhabitants — namely, Wellington, Edward and Annie — to a "field trip" over the last few days, allowing them to roam to other exhibits, and see their animal neighbors up close. "Without guests in the building, caretakers are getting creative in how they provide enrichment to animals – introducing new experiences, activities, foods and more to keep them active, encourage them to explore, problem-solve and express natural behaviors," the aquarium confirmed in a statement to Fox News. (Shedd Aquarium) "This is pretty much a part of our animal welfare for every animal we have in our aquarium," Steve Aibel, the senior director of animal behavior and training, told Fox News. "We want these guys to be out and around… comfortable in their homes," he said, explaining that these types of "field trips" weren't rare for Shedd's animals at all — the animal's caretakers simply had a bit more time to document the penguins now that the aquarium was temporarily closed. HOW TO COPE WITH SOCIAL ISOLATION DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC And document they did. Animal care expert Michelle Nastasowski began on Sunday by following Wellington, a 32-year-old rockhopper penguin, after bringing him to visit the Amazon Rising exhibit. "Wellington seemed most interested in the fishes in Amazon Rising!" the aquarium wrote on Twitter, in a post that also contained footage of Wellington staring at the large fish tank. "The black-barred silver dollars also seemed interested in their unusual visitor," the aquarium wrote. The aquarium was soon inundated with requests for more ("we need daily [updates]," one user pleaded), to which the aquarium responded by confirming that its "animal caretakers are planning even more creative activities for the penguins and other animals." CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER The next day, the Shedd Aquarium shared video of Edward and Annie, two more of its rockhopper penguins, exploring the aquariums rotunda, and even its information desk, in the absence of guests. Nastasowski told Fox News it was important to let the animals explore even when guests are around, too. "So this idea, a field trip, is something that we at Shedd have been doing for a very long time," she said. "We do need time to do this even when the aquarium is open. We thought it was important to document." FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS And once again, after posting video of Edward and Annie, the aquarium was inundated with praise on Twitter, with one user suggesting they bring the penguins to meet the otters. "The internet would lose its mind," she wrote. Lana Gonzalez, the manager of the aquarium's otter and penguin teams, said she was thrilled that the penguins' antics were generating such interest on Twitter. "For me, being able to see it bring joy to people… in this kinda crisis, is a highlight. But it's also [important] to get that message out about penguins all around the world," she said, specifically noting the threats penguins and their natural habitats are currently facing. "Learning is oftentimes much more effective when it's fun and when it's spontaneous," Aibel added. "We hope it encourages people to ask, 'What can I do to help? What about other animals in need? What can I do to take care of the backyard, of the planet, of the ocean?" "The problems that [these animals] are facing are real… If Wellington can be the animal that can do that, then boom — that's what we're trying to accomplish." The Shedd Aquarium temporarily closed to visitors on March 13, with plans to reopen on March 29. (Shedd Aquarium) The Shedd Aquarium temporarily closed to visitors on March 13, citing concerns for the overall wellbeing of the community. "While we are disappointed that we won't be able to welcome you to the aquarium during this time, we are closing out of an abundance of caution and to do our part in the social distancing efforts to help stop the further spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19)," the aquarium wrote on its website. CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE The facility has set a reopening date of March 29.

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