Thank goodness for internet access, because it gives us access to cuteness across the planet via animal webcams. In these days of corona quarantines and social distancing, you come to realize just how important web connectedness really is. Of course you can Netflix and chill, watch Amazon Prime or Hulu to your heart’s content. You can work or worship via Zoom, and check in on loved ones wherever they may be. Virtual activities abound. There are Zoom game shows, craft class, and story time with a Disney character or a bedtime story read by Dolly Parton, as I covered in that last blog. Getting out in nature is one of the most healing, beneficial things there is. With most states under stay at home orders, many parks and recreation options are shut down. Here in Charleston, that includes White Point Gardens at the Battery, and Waterfront Park with the giant pineapple fountain. Charleston County parks are all closed, as is Pitt Street Bridge in Mount Pleasant. Governor McMaster has closed all public access to beaches and waterways in the state. The next best thing to being in nature is watching it. And thanks to animal webcams, you can get a glimpse into the real lives of adorable and majestic creatures of all kinds. It’s both fascinating and relaxing at the same time.
Animal webcams everywhere
Recently, both Fodor’s and AFAR came up with great lists of animal webcams that emanate from land and sea, all over the planet. Fodor’s brings us "15 Animal Live Streams Better Than Anything on Netflix." You can check in on:
- Penguins (from the Georgia Aquarium, San Diego Zoo, Mystic Aquarium and Melbourne Zoo);
- Baby Snow Leopards (Melbourne Zoo);
- Sea Otters (Georgia Aquarium and Monterey Bay Aquarium);
- Beluga Whales (Georgia Aquarium);
- Sea Lions (Georgia Aquarium and Seal Island, Maine);
- Underwater Creatures (including jellyfish, tropical fish, coral, and even piranhas, shark and stingrays);
- Baboons, Gorillas and Monkeys (Houston and San Diego Zoos);
- Condors and Falcons (California condors at the San Diego Zoo, peregrine falcons at the University of Pittsburgh and more at UC Berkeley);
- Bald Eagles (at the National Arboretum in DC, the Smoky Mountains and Dollywood’s American Eagle Foundation);
- Pandas! (at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, and 11 panda cams at the Shenshuping Gengda Panda Center in China);
- Elephants ( the San Diego Zoo, the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, and the National Zoo);
- Tigers (San Diego Zoo, Edinburgh Zoo, and even Carole Baskin’s Big Cat Rescue of Tiger King fame);
- Dogs (Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary in Tennessee, or a Puppy Playroom in Maryland);
- A hummingbird named Bella in California;
- Koala Bears (San Diego Zoo, Edinburgh Zoo, or the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Australia).
That sounds like some major cuteness right there. Apparently the baby panda cams are off the cuteness meter. You can access all the animal webcams here.
Yet more great wildlife webcams to check out
AFAR also assembled a great grouping of animal webcams. They take some of those above and add to them Atlantic puffins in Maine, brown bears in Alaska, more elephants in South Africa, and Gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They also link to the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Home Safari. You never know what might pop up there. They’ve featured Komodo dragons, aardvarks, manatees, and Fiona the Hippo. She’s the one who was born premature and is the smallest ever to survive. As a bonus, they even feature a virtual spring tour around the lush gardens as well. Find their whole list complete with webcam links here. So check out some of these amazing animal webcams. And when you are ready to start planning a stay in a luxury house on Isle of Palms, be sure to give us a call. All best, Lowcountry Lisa your Isle of Palms vacation blogger