On March 13th, Shedd Aquarium in Chicago officially closed its doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in “the best interest of overall wellness for our community and for each other.” However, that doesn’t mean the animals have to self-quarantine too.
The Aquarium’s staff are using the empty space as an opportunity to provide enrichment and positivity to the animals in new ways, including giving penguins tours of the aquarium. While the people are away, the penguins get to play and roam around all day. The penguins wandered around the building, down the halls, checking out the dolphins, stingrays, and fishes.
A spokesperson from Shedd Aquarium announced:
While Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium may be closed to the public, animal care staff and veterinarians are onsite 24/7. 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.
On March 15th, Wellington, a cute rockhopper penguin, got to explore the aquarium’s “Amazon Rising” section and was fascinated by all the fish. “He seemed most interested by several of the freshwater fish species, like the red-bellied piranhas and black-barred silver dollars. Those same fish seemed equally interested in Wellington, meaning the penguins aren’t the only animals receiving enrichment from these pop-up field trips,” explained the spokesperson.
Another couple of rockhopper penguins named Edward and Annie, who are together for the nesting season, went on a tour of the aquarium’s building. They wandered along with full curiosity about everything around them, checking out the fish in the tanks and looking around the reception desk. This week, the pair will build their nests, and Shedd Aquarium will upload digital nesting coverage online so that animal lovers can watch too.
Shedd’s zookeepers said:
Enrichment is a regular part of the animals’ day, so we are keeping the day for the animals the same. A field trip in the aquarium is just enrichment; we don’t do as frequently. Being closed doesn’t affect the animals; they still get to see the animal care staff they would normally see on a daily basis.
The zookeepers explained that even during this time of uncertainty and mayhem, it is vital to keep things as usual and relaxed as possible for the animals.
A Shedd Aquarium statement wrote:
While we are disappointed that we won’t be able to welcome you to the aquarium during this time, we are closing out of an abundance of caution and to do our part in the social distancing efforts to help stop the further spread of novel coronavirus. Our dedicated caretakers and veterinarians will continue to provide the highest standards of professional care and welfare for our animals on site.
Watch the cute and curious penguins wander around the empty aquarium in the video below.
