Young Eastern Lowland Gorilla (gorilla beringei graueri) is riding on the back of the mother in the ... [+]
As a travel writer I typically write about the places, people and animals I have met around the world. But unfortunately due to the COVID-19 pandemic it seems the world is on hold. Many of us are in self-isolation and we should all be social distancing from others. With literally millions of children out of school, including my son, school lessons as we know them have come to a halt, at least for now. Many parents and caregivers are finding creative ways to encourage their kids to keep learning and there is lots of information online if you are looking for lesson plans or unique ideas. As animal lovers we have watched live webcams of animals when my son was younger so I figured it was time to write about some of our favorites. If you want to turn this into a learning experience you can have kids research each animal and write about their habitats. Many of the links below will lead you to individual lesson plans and websites with more information about each species.
There are no zoos or aquariums on this list. These animals are either wild and free to roam at their leisure in nature or rescued and living the rest of their lives at a sanctuary.
Sheep in field looking at camera
Farm Sanctuary’s sheep barn is a little piece of heaven. Located in Watkins Glen New York, Farm Sanctuary is dedicated to helping farm animals in need. Located in upstate New York their shelter is home to over 800 rescued farm animals. The sheep barn is a very happy place and you can watch these loveable creatures eat, sleep and play. There is also a Farm Sanctuary in Southern California located on 26-acres and home to many happy souls. Their website has educational literature about factory farming, the environment and the treatment of animals.
An elephant gallops across a grassy plain in an image about freedom, joy, and possibilities.
One of my favorite elephant rescue organizations is Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). Although their webcam is currently offline you can still learn about rescued elephants from their website. But head on over to another favorite elephant rescue, The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, and get ready to witness happy elephants living their lives in real time on their EleCam. You can check out the Q Habitat, African Habitat and Asian Habitat, all with different elephants. This elephant haven exists to provide rescued elephants the care and love they deserve and the opportunity to live out their lives safely in a herd.
Mom and baby at Three Sisters Springs.
Save the Manatee in Florida was started to protect manatees and their habitat. This award winning national non-profit aims to safeguard these adorable endangered creatures. The winter home to the West Indian manatees is Blue Springs State Park an hour away from Orlando. If the webcam is not currently live they have several recorded videos on their website, both above and below water and lots of educational material to learn all about these sea cows.
Bison in Canada
Grasslands National Park in southwestern Saskatchewan is home to wild bison roaming free on the prairies. So take a virtual trip to Canada and watch these magnificent giants chilling out among a blue sky and meeting up at the watering hole for a drink. The bison camera is located at a natural spring near Val Marie. Be on the lookout for other animals to show up too.
San Francisco, California, United States
Take a virtual trip to California and spy on rescued birds at International Bird Rescue. Their mission is to inspire others to respect the natural world and they rescue water birds in crisis. They have a live birdcam in San Francisco at their San Francisco Bay Center and a live streaming PeliCam at their Los Angeles Wildlife Center in San Pedro. Be on the lookout for brown pelicans, gulls and other water birds that are recovering in their 100-foot long aviary. They successfully rehabilitate and release many species of birds every year.
Young Eastern Lowland Gorilla (gorilla beringei graueri) is riding on the back of the mother in the ... [+]
No need to go to the zoo when there are rescued gorillas smiling, playing and sleeping right before your very eyes at Grace Gorillas in The Gorilla Forest Corridor. The mission of this organization is to provide care and shelter for rescued Grauer’s gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo and work with Congolese communities to help promote wild gorilla conservation including their habitat. Grace Center is located in a remote area near the Tanya Nature Reserve. You can watch these magnificent creatures in the corridor that connects the gorillas’ night quarters as they come and go at their leisure in the forest.
Polar bear walking on snowy mountain.
In Manitoba’s Wapusk National Park you can watch polar bears playing in the snow. Due to climate change they have less than ideal ice platforms but this Canadian park protects the world’s largest concentration of polar bear maternity dens. Wapusk is home to approximately 1000 bears and Polar Bears International works to protect them in these challenging times. While viewing the webcam, have your kids be on the lookout for arctic foxes, arctic hares, wolves, caribou and wolverine in addition to over 200 bird species that call Wapusk home.
Rescued Tiger
For many of us working from home these days our pets are thrilled to have us nearby all day long. I know our rescue kitty Sky is happy she gets extra cuddles from my son. If you don’t have a cat check out the kitty webcam of the SPCA Los Angeles and get your feline fix immediately as the cats roam or sleep in an enclosed patio. For slightly larger felines take a virtual tour of Big Cat Rescue in Florida. They are one of the largest accredited sanctuaries in the world and are fully dedicated to helping abused and abandoned big cats. Over 80 lions, tigers, bobcats and cougars that have been either abandoned, abused, orphaned, retired from the circus or saved from becoming fur coats call this rescue home. Check out Big Cat TV or the cat webcam focusing on a 2.5-acre lion enclosure. If you want to learn about the wonderful work Big Cat Rescue is doing there is plenty of information on their website and it’s a great way to education children about wildlife rescue.
In these challenging times lets all stay connected.
Cat and dog making an Internet video phone call
