Lemurs hang out at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo — Photo courtesy of The Woodland Park Zoo
A virtual visit to a zoo or aquarium proves a wonderful way to brighten any day. "Wander" among nature and get caught up watching wildlife play, sleep and go about daily routines, as online programming transports viewers to faraway lands filled with sleek, fierce and cuddly creatures.
From the nation's capital to Cali
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In Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian National Zoological Park posts several live webcam channels on its page, allowing you to visit beloved residents like its giant pandas, elephants, lions and naked mole-rats, too. Got a penchant for penguins? Spend a morning following their activities at the Pittsburgh Zoo.
Travel to California's sun-kissed Central Coast, where the Monterey Bay Aquarium offers 10 livecams for at-home entertainment. Enjoy soothing ocean vibes while chilling out in front of the playful sea otters or hypnotic, drifting jellies.
Tennessee wildlife treasures
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Travel to Tennessee, where the Chattanooga Zoo's livecams follow favorite residents like the meerkat, snow leopard, tamarin and spotted genet. The Tennessee Aquarium's cameras take visitors to the following exhibits: River Otter Falls, Penguins Rock and Secret Reef.
While watching the Secret Reef camera, guests can "gameify" the experience by counting sharks as they pass or using the Secret Reef Dichotomous Key. The venue offers printable activities, created in collaboration with its education department.
They've also taken some of the most common visitor questions and answered them in a video series, available on YouTube. Lastly, the Aquarium has teamed up with MacGillivray Freeman Films to bring their IMAX 3D Theater experience into homes with offerings that include: "Coral Reef Adventure," "Dolphins," "Humpback Whales" and "The Living Sea."
Adorable Ohio offerings
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Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden has launched Home Safari Live Streams on Facebook seven days a week, with each day centered on a different animal or theme. Beloved hippo, Fiona, kicked off the live showings, followed by Rico the porcupine, Moe the Sloth and John the lion.
(The original post was shared more than 283,000 times with 400,000-plus people following the page.) The home safaris are streamed live every day at 3 p.m. EST and can be viewed after the live session ends, too.
Seattle's favorite residents
Get swept away by regal scenes that offer an escape from daily life — Photo courtesy of The Woodland Park Zoo
Get whisked away to the beautiful Pacific Northwest by visiting Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo. You can watch animals (from bears to bats) attending to business as usual on the site's webcam. The zoo also utilizes its early childhood hub as a blog, featuring new family activities added weekly.
Consider donating to zoos' relief funds, like this one, that help with animal care during these closures.
Whimsy in Saint Louis
King penguins star on the Saint Louis Zoo live penguin cam — Photo courtesy of Dave Merritt/Saint Louis Zoo
The Saint Louis Zoo will #BringTheStlZooToYou in many ways, including its "zootube" page. The animal care team plans to share photos and videos of animals over the coming weeks, which will also be added to the blog.
Recent popular posts include: a daily live penguin cam (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. central time), this lovable sea lion clip and a Monkey Mania Poll on Facebook (in which primate keepers have selected eight monkey species to be featured in a friendly online voting competition).
The St. Louis Aquarium provides entertainment with its Daily Quaranstream — Photo courtesy of St. Louis Aquarium
Splash into St. Louis Aquarium live stream options that include morning breakfast events with their baby sloth Coconut, streams of otters Thatcher, Sawyer and Finn and other happenings scheduled daily on their Facebook and Instagram pages.
Out in the wild
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Beyond the zoo realm, viewers can keep an eye on a bald eagle nest that's located near a trout hatchery in Decorah, Iowa, or attempt to glimpse manatees gliding around the springs of Florida. And you can live out safari dreams, too, as you witness guides searching for critters of the South African Bushveld. Twice a day, experts take viewers on virtual experiences and answer questions (submitted via the comments section).
Until we're able to actively travel again, we'll rely on the beauty and wonder of these virtual offerings.