Penguins Allowed To Roam Around Aquarium After It Was Closed To The Public

Mar 17, 2020 by apost team

As the growing coronavirus outbreak makes headlines around the world, more and more public places and cultural institutions are being closed in a bid to minimize the spread of the outbreak.

And while it's an uncertain time for humanity, one species is taking advantage of the empty sights currently not open for business. At Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, penguins have been allowed to roam free and enjoy all the perks that the venue has to offer.

The Shedd Aquarium is currently closed to visitors but staff posted a video to its Twitter account of penguins roaming around behind closed doors. They wrote, "Some of the penguins went on a field trip to meet other animals at Shedd. Wellington seemed most interested in the fishes in Amazon Rising! The black-barred silver dollars also seemed interested in their unusual visitor."

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The penguins were spotted all over the aquarium, with one appearing to receive a guided tour, while others were hanging around the information desk. We can only imagine just how excited the little animals were at this rare opportunity.

In three further videos posted by the team, the penguins can be seen enjoying the aquarium's sights, with staff writing, "The adventure continues!"

"This morning, Edward and Annie explored Shedd's rotunda. They are a bonded pair of rockhopper penguins, which means they are together for nesting season. Springtime is nesting season for penguins at Shedd, and this year is no different!"

They added: "Penguins like Edward and Annie will begin to build their nests next week. Join us digitally for nesting coverage! In the meantime, we will be sharing lots of different animal updates (and yes, Wellington will return!)"

While the world lingers in uncertainty due to the ever-growing coronavirus outbreak, the penguins enjoying their time at Shedd Aquarium bring a little bit of light into these hard times. If it weren't for the aquarium's closure, perhaps the little birds would never have had the opportunity to see their aquarium home in this way.

Shedd Aquarium continues in its posts:

"While this may be a strange time for us, these days feel normal for animals at Shedd. Our caregivers are constantly providing new experiences for the animals to explore and express their natural behaviors with. Let us know what penguin activities you would like to see."

It appears these videos and images of the penguins enjoying their day out at the aquarium might just be the start of more exciting footage to come. Shedd Aquarium asked its followers what kind of other penguin activities they'd like to see, so it's likely we'll be lucky to see more of the little black-and-white critters engaging in new adventures soon. To stay up to date, be sure to check out Shedd Aquarium's Twitter page for all of the latest footage.

What do you think of the penguins' day out at the aquarium? Let us know whether you enjoyed Shedd Aquarium's updates on Twitter, and if so send this on to your family and friends.