Stuck Inside? Take a Virtual Field Trip to the Zoo
OutdoorHub Reporters 03.19.20
While institutions that rely on live attendance have been hampered by the increasingly strict social distancing guidelines being enacted throughout the U.S., many have been forced to come up with new ways to connect with their customers and fans.
Digital Zoos
The nation’s zoos, for example, have been going digital the last week or so, providing entertainment to folks at home via live-streaming and social media.
Here are a couple live-streaming zoos that have been a big hit lately:
The Cincinnati Zoo has been hosting “Home Safaris” live via Facebook every weekday. On Monday, viewers were taken on a field trip to Hippo Cove to check in on the hippos and see what they’ve been up to. Watch the video below for an up-close look at feeding the hippos:
(Back in 2017, one of the zoos hippos, Fiona, became a hit on social media after her birth in January of that year.)
At the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, the penguins were given some free time to run around the facility (with human supervision) and it created this amazing video:
Penguins in the Amazon?! 🐧🌴
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 black-barred silver dollars also seemed interested in their unusual visitor. pic.twitter.com/KgYWsp5VQD
— Shedd Aquarium (@shedd_aquarium) March 15, 2020
“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,” a Shedd Aquarium staffer told the Chicago Tribune.
Entertainment Industry
Thinking outside the box during this age of the coronavirus has become the new norm across all fronts in the entertainment business. Many music artists have been appearing on Instagram Live to play music for their fans, such as Luke Combs, who sat in his garage in Tennessee – decked out in a Mossy Oak vest – and played some tunes for around 20 minutes. Pretty freakin’ awesome!
Enjoy:
Watch Luke Combs’ IG page in the coming weeks for more jam sessions like this one, as he said he would likely do more of these for as long as we’re all stuck inside.
Cheers Luke!
