Getting up-close to animals is easy to do from your own home with livestreams and webcams
Are your pets are getting too much attention these days of sequestering? Are they tired of taking walks, constant pets and ball throwing?
Well, when you need your critter fix, consider visiting these animal live streams and webcams for that dose of Vitamin Fur, Feather and Flipper!
Here’s just a sampling of what is out there; for more cyber safaris, visit explore.org which maintains an impressive collection of animal live streams.
Zoos/Aquariums
What do you do when all the hallways are empty? Release the penguins, of course! The staff at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago has been escorting a number of curious Rock hopper penguins around the exhibits, allowing the waddling birds to check out some of their fellow aquarium mates. Content is updated regularly on the aquatic museum’s Instagram and Twitter pages. @shedd_aquarium
The Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific shares views of itstropical reefs, sea jellies, exotic fish, penguins and, our favorite, a peak into the Shark Lagoon. It’s about as close as you want to get to those teeth.
http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/exhibits/webcams
You can watch how giant pandas spend their days 24/7 from The Smithsonian National Zoological Park. They sleep, eat and play – say, doesn’t that sound like how we all are spending our days? Also, don’t miss naked mole rats cam; these alien-like creatures can be seen squeezing into large plastic tubes as they cavort. https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/panda-cam
https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/naked-mole-rat-cam
The San Diego Zoo has a bevy of webcams that range from the mild (butterfly pavilion) to the wild (tigers). The burrowing owl cam takes you inside an underground nest where bird couples are hatching and raising owlets.
https://www.sdzsafaripark.org/cams/burrowing-owl-cams
The hypnotizing gliding waters off Northern California with swaying jellyfish is pure meditation in movement. Monterey Bay Aquarium’s jelly cam will give you a calming fix when you need it the most. https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/
Spend time among gorillas, giraffes, elephants and leaf-cutter ants at the Houston Zoo. Bonus; you can even control the camera angle to feel like you’re really in the moment. https://www.houstonzoo.org/explore/webcams/
Mother Nature Live
Around the country, many bald eagle pairs have hatched chicks– but only a few bird families have their own web cams. Currently, Romey and Jules are about five-weeks-old and are being raised in a nest in northeast Florida; tune in to see how mom and dad take turns caring for the young ones. The accompanying nest chat is perfect for students and other nature lovers.
https://nefleaglecam.org/
Go on an African safari and see what’s happening at different wildlife watering holes and other South African critter hot spots via Africam. Just remember…nature can be sometimes ‘gory’ so be warned!
https://www.africam.com/wildlife/live-african-wildlife-safari-channels/
Since 2005, an Allen’s hummingbird has been laying and raising chicks in a tree in Southern California – all within view of a kindly homeowner who, in 2012, installed a camera to share this tiny wonder of nature at work.
https://www.bellahummingbird.com/
By their nature, owls are seldom seen birds, elusive and mysterious. Watching them up close and raising their young is indeed a privilege. For several years, the folks at Starr Ranch Sanctuary in Orange County have been broadcasting the events in a eucalyptus tree nesting cavity. Witness the change from egg to fluff ball and beyond. Great comments from organizers and the community make this a very social experience.
http://starrranch.org/blog/
Farms, Rescues and Domesticated Beasts
A visit to Flying Skunk Farm in Martha’s Vineyard will introduce you to a barnyard of Old MacDonald animals such as chicken, ducks, geese and goats. Currently, a large image of Gumby stands guard over the critters that you can watch and hear – but luckily, not smell. http://flyingskunk.com/live.php
Peruse through the residents at The Clinic for Rehabilitation of Wildlife that include an otter cam, raccoon cam, armadillo cam, pelican cam and others. Webcams are operational during regular office hours. http://www.crowclinic.org/webcams
The Internet has taught us that kittens make the world a better place. Tune into a room at Kitten Rescue in Atwater Village to coo over nursing moms with litters of kittens as well as frolicking furballs that are waiting to be adopted. https://kittenrescue.org/
Get a puppy fix from the Warrior Canine Connection that turns cameras onto its Puppy Enrichment Center. Here, you’ll see future service dogs that will be paired with wounded veterans.
https://explore.org/livecams/warrior-canine-connection/puppy-whelping-room
