Visit the Animals at These U.S. Zoos and Aquariums Live from Your Sofa During Social Distancing

What better way to de-stress than watching giraffes peacefully munch on some leaves or a family of apes swing around on their jungle gym?

Toodles the Ringtail Loves Snacks
Photo: Oregon Zoo

Have you already burned through your DVR and eaten through your grocery store haul? If you’re at home and feeling anxious about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic (or looking for something to do), check out some of the virtual tours and animal cams offered for free by these U.S. zoos and aquariums:

1. Oregon Zoo

The zoo is sharing daily video updates on their Facebook page of different animals during their temporary closure. Already this week, you can watch Toodles the ringtail snacking and otter pups Flora and Hobs playfully wrestling.

2. San Diego Zoo

There’s an animal for everyone at the San Diego Zoo: giraffes, polar bears, rhinos and more can be observed in real-time thanks to the zoo’s 11 live cams. What better way to de-stress than watching giraffes peacefully munch on some leaves or a family of apes swing around on their jungle gym?

Rhino Live Cam
San Diego Safari Park

3. Cincinnati Zoo

Every day, the zoo is hosting “Home Safari Facebook Lives” showcasing one of their animals and offering a fun, educational activity you can do at home. The zoo’s first livestream on Monday featured one of its more famous inhabitants: Fiona the hippo! If you want to tune in live, pull up the zoo’s Facebook page every day at 3 p.m. EST. All of the safaris will also be posted to the zoo’s website and on their YouTube page.

Fiona the hippo turns 3
Cincinatti Zoo/Instagram

4. Monterey Bay Aquarium

Go “Under the Sea” at one of California’s largest aquariums! Their 10 live cams bring you to glowing moon jellies, bright fish gathering at a coral reef, and sharks swimming through kelp canopies. Bonus: the soft instrumental music playing in the background of the Open Sea Cam is extremely calming.

Sea Otter Live Cam
Monterey Bay Aquarium

5. Georgia Aquarium

The Georgia Aquarium has 8 live cams on their website across different colorful, fun exhibits. Their silly, energetic California sea lions and busy reef exhibit are particularly enjoyable to watch. To learn more about the animals, you can check out their detailed animal guides.

Georgia Aquarium
Georgia Aquarium

The Shedd Aquarium, Memphis Zoo, Virginia Zoo, Utica Zoo, Tennessee Aquarium and more facilities are also offering animal updates and virtual programming while they are temporarily closed to the public.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments and visit our coronavirus hub.

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