Coronavirus: Waddling penguins explore shut-down US aquarium

An aquarium in the US is making light of a bad situation by letting penguins out of their enclosure and waddle around since being closed down amid coronavirus fears.

Staff at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago filmed three penguins on their adventure as they met marine friends along the way.

"Without guests in the building, caretakers are getting creative in how they provide enrichment to animals," the aquarium said in a statement.

"Introducing new experiences, activities, foods and more to keep them active, encourage them to explore, problem-solve and express natural behaviours."

In one Twitter post, Shedd Aquarium said one penguin, Wellington, enjoyed meeting fishes in Amazon Rising while the black-barred silver dollars seemed interested in their unusual visitor.

Penguins in the Amazon?! 🐧🌴

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. pic.twitter.com/KgYWsp5VQD

— Shedd Aquarium (@shedd_aquarium) March 15, 2020

Another video showed two penguins, Edward and Annie, exploring the Shedd's rotunda.

"They are a bonded pair of rockhopper penguins, which means they are together for nesting season," they wrote on Twitter.

"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 behaviours with."

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!) 🐧👀 (2/3) pic.twitter.com/eCYKOwdOMz

— Shedd Aquarium (@shedd_aquarium) March 16, 2020

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! (3/3) pic.twitter.com/ftlow7iPHl

— Shedd Aquarium (@shedd_aquarium) March 16, 2020

Shedd Aquarium temporarily closed for two weeks to limit the spread of Covid-19.

Popular Auckland aquarium Kelly Tarltons remains open at this stage and has advised those who are sick and are directly affected by the coronavirus not to visit.

VirusFacts2

"As with many businesses, we are actively monitoring the situation with regards to the outbreak of Covid-19 coronavirus and are in regular contact with the health authority. The advice from the health authorities has not changed, so our business is operating as normal," their website reads.

Meanwhile, Auckland Zoo remains open with a comprehensive range of measures to help keep their visitors and staff safe such as closing kiwi enclosures and the meerkat tunnels.