A US aquarium is among the many public institutions that have closed their doors and suspended operation amid shutdowns in trying to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago announced that it would be closing its doors to visitors for two weeks until Sunday 29 March in a bid to protect the overall health of the community and staff.
Announcing the temporary closure on Twitter on 13 March, Shedd Aquarium ended the tweet with: ‘In the meantime, let us know what animal updates you want!’
Some of the aquarium’s residents, two bonded rockhopper penguins named Edward and Annie, were released from their enclosure and were allowed to wander around the premises together, supervised by a staff member who filmed their fun little excursion and uploaded the footage to social media.
Edward and Annie’s trip coincided with the Spring nesting season in the northern hemisphere, so in a way, you can consider their waddles around aquarium exhibitions, past the information desk and various enclosures featuring their aquatic, fishy neighbours a romantic rendezvous.
Much like the Chicago aquarium, in Ohio, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden has also started a ‘Home Safari’ live feed series on Facebook for families with children home from school to avoid contracting coronavirus.
In California, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has also been sharing a live feed from its ‘Sea Otter Cam’ which monitors its sea otter enclosure to help bring a smile to those waiting out the quarantine.
Featured image: Shedd Aquarium via Twitter
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