In this blog I will be talking about my experience visiting the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute virtually. I will discuss what I saw, what my favorite part was, and other interesting things about the field trip.
How my virtual field trip went
I first started my clicking this link which lead me to the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute website. I then was able to look at live streams and view them. The animal live streams that were available for me at the time were Black-footed Ferrets, Naked Mole-rats, Lions, Giant Pandas, and Elephants.
The first live stream camera I chose to look at was the Black-footed ferrets. It showed a mama ferret, named Potpie, with her three kits. These ferrets were born on May 19, 2021 and the webcam streaming live from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia. When I clicked to watch the ferrets they were all huddled up in the corner sleeping. I was able to see their paws and watch them take heavy breaths while sleeping. They were all super cute and I can’t wait to check back and see if they wake up.
After I saw the Black-footed ferrets, I decided to check out the Naked Mole-rat live camera. The website said that these Naked Mole-rats have a hug habitat that features 16 chambers and nearly 25 feet of winding tunnels. When I was watching the live stream I did not see much, all I saw was their backs. I noticed that I was able to switch to another camera, when I switched cameras it showed me a view of two tunnels and I was able to watch a few Naked-Mole rats crawl through it. It was really cool to get a close up and watch them in action!
One of my favorite animals growing up was a Elephant, when I saw that it was on the live camera I was so excited to click it! The elephants they showed were Asian elephants, their names are Spike, Bozie, Kamala, Swarna and Maharani. While watching the live stream I was only able to see two of them. They were super cute and big. I got to see them eat and walk around the habitat for a bit. I really enjoyed getting to see them close up, especially because often times when you visit the zoo in real life they are far away and harder to see, these cameras were zoomed in enough where you could get a great look at them.
Unfortunately, when I clicked on the Lion live stream there was nothing there, it was still really interesting to read about them and look at their habitat though. The habitat had multiple levels and a few spaces where they lions could go in and get some privacy and shade. I am assuming they were in that location when I went to view it. The area they can roam around in is very spacious and looks like a great space for them to spend their time.
Lastly I was able to see the Giant Pandas. The live stream of the Pandas also gave you the option of going back and forth between two different cameras. When I clicked to view the second camera I saw a Giant Panda on top of what appears to be a rock. The Panda was moving around bamboo and also eating it. I loved watching him move around and explore the area.
Final Thoughts
Overall I really enjoyed this virtual field trip to the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. It was so much fun to see every animal close up and check on the links periodically to see if they moved or were doing anything different. My favorite part of the virtual field trip was the Naked-Mole rats, I wasn’t expecting it to be my favorite, however I loved watching them run through the little tunnels and have never seen them in that much action before. I definitely recommend that you try out the website for yourself and check out all of the cool live streams they have for the animals. This link will lead you right to the website!
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