Looking for some wholesome animal content during lockdown? With zoos and wildlife sanctuaries around the world providing 24- hour livestreams of their animals, children and adults alike can enjoy fun animal encounters in real time. We take a look at seven of the best zoo and wildlife livestreams that you can watch from home – any time of the day or night.
Taronga TV streams live feeds from habitats at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo and features animals from lions and tigers to zebras, giraffes, penguins, meerkats and otters. A particular highlight is the Capybara Cam. Watch as the world’s largest rodents frolic in the water or nap in the sun with their ears flicking. Taronga Zoo’s capybara herd consists of five brothers, Pedro, Sanchez, Guillermo, Carlos and Rodney.
Zoos Victoria’s Animals at Home features live feeds from Melbourne Zoo, including a live stream of Zoo’s Snow Leopard mum, Miska, and cubs Sikari, Manju and Asha. Don’t miss out on feeding time – the cubs are usually fed between 9am and 10am each morning. Animals at Home also features live feeds of penguins, lions, zebras and more as well as pre-recorded keeper talks and animal encounters.
You can keep an eye on Australia’s only breeding pair of Giant Pandas, Wang Wang and Fu Ni at Adelaide Zoo, thanks to Zoos South Australia’s We’re bringing the zoo to you! program. You can also check out Adelaide Zoo’s giraffes and the chimpanzees and southern white rhino at Monarto Safari Park.
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Queensland is home to more than 100 koalas. The sanctuary – the oldest and largest koala sanctuary in the world – features a number of livestreams on its YouTube channel. A highlight is the Lone Pine Koala Train livestream, showcasing a location the sanctuary has dubbed the “koala cuddle train” as it has proven a popular place for koalas to snuggle up together, especially on chilly mornings.
Royal Cam, a 24-hour live stream of an albatross nest during the breeding season, went viral earlier this year when it captured a northern royal albatross making a less-thangraceful landing in front of its chick. The camera captures footage from the albatross breeding colony on Pukekura/Taiaroa Head, outside Dunedin on New Zealand’s South Island. This season’s Royal Cam is showcasing albatrosses LGK, LGL and their female chick Tiaki, who hatched on January 24, 2021. Albatross enthusiasts can even track where the parents have been foraging on a tracking map.
For birdwatchers looking for something closer to home, peregrine falcons can be seen in the species’ only known nesting site in Melbourne’s CBD – the roof of 367 Collins St. A pair of peregrine falcons has been observed in a nest on the building’s rooftop since 1991 and they can now be observed thanks to a livestream that gives you a view of the river and Arts Centre Melbourne in the background. The peregrine falcons lay and hatch their chicks from August.
If you’re looking for something a little more meditative, the Aquarium of the Pacific, in California’s Long Beach, is streaming its Tropical Reef Habitat, the Aquarium’s largest exhibit, which features over 1,000 animals from the tiny cleaner wrasse to the zebra shark. Or, for something more upbeat, duck across to the aquarium’s penguin exhibit, which features livestreams from above and below the water.