Pittsburgh Zoo Offers Penguin Livestreams, Educational Videos

PITTSBURGH, PA – As many families try to figure out how to spend their time at home due to public health recommendations to practice social distancing – maintaining at least six feet between you and the next person – the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium is coming to the rescue with livestreams, a podcast and educational programming.

First up on the list of family-friendly remote zoo activities is the penguin livestream. Viewers can watch the Macaroni Penguins and the Gentoo Penguins swim and waddle around the exhibit, and they even have the ability to move the web cam to get a better view of the tuxedoed swimmers.

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The zoo is also hosting a cheetah livestream, which is particularly fun for children, as cheetahs' spots help them blend into their surroundings. Searching for the cheetah on the livestream can be a fun at-home game to play, as you can move the camera around to see if you can spot mom and daughter Zola and Rey.

For anyone who might be interested in going behind the scenes at the zoo and aquarium, listen in to the One Wild Place podcast. This podcast gives listeners a great perspective from people who work with wildlife and conservation at the zoo.

The zoo has also begun an educational video series on their YouTube channel, starting with Furry Friends, where preschoolers can learn about the basic needs of mammals and are introduced to some "furry friends" from the zoo.

Additionally, the new Animal Tracks educational program provides educators with digital resources that are dedicated to elementary students. Through this program, educators can download lesson plans, utilize corresponding educational videos and use the penguin and cheetah livestreams in their lesson plans.

The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium is currently closed to the public until further notice, but these resources can be found on their website: https://www.pittsburghzoo.org/bringing-the-zoo-to-you/