Visiting animal sanctuaries and well maintained zoos is something our family really enjoys. However, it’s not always easy to travel from everyone or sometimes you just want to travel through your computers. An easy way to see animals around the world is to visit virtual zoos. These zoo websites help families learn a little more about the world. And help everyone be educated by zoos around the world. Here are our picks of 12 great virtual zoos around the world.
Audubon Nature Institute
Photo courtesy of Audubon Nature Institute
Located in New Orleans, LA, the Audubon Nature Institute begin in the early 1900’s and has developed into a local institute for conservation and education of the environment. With a zoo, an insectarium and an aquarium, there’s also information on their website about animals from butterflies to penguins to the Eastern Screech Owl.
Georgia Aquarium
Photo from DepositPhotos (f11photo)
In downtown Atlanta, GA, the Georgia Aquarium opened in 2005 and has unique animals to view via their web cams including beluga whales and piranha. Their virtual zoo also includes a gallery of animals with diet, natural habitat info and average height and weight for the species.
National Zoological Garden
The largest zoo in South Africa, the National Zoological Garden houses over 700 species of animals, invertebrate and amphibians. Their virtual zoo digs deeper than some others and includes info on the class, order, family and genus on their animals.
San Diego Zoo
Photo from DepositPhotos (zhukovsky)
Often voted one of the top zoos in the United States, the San Diego Zoo in the state of California is also a great virtual zoo. With cameras on their koalas, baboons and tigers, you can also find additional info about the animals and even some specific blog posts on certain ones. They also have achieved footage of the pandas Bai Yun and Xiao Liwu who were recently returned to their ancestral home of China.
Shedd Aquarium
Photo from DepositPhotos (Nyker)
Have you seen the viral video of the Shedd Aquarium penguins touring the facilities while the facilities are closed? As fun as that was, the Shedd Aquarium website is just as fun and very informative. Their virtual zoo not only links to the types of animals there, but also the habitats and exhibits that they live in. Their images will leave the animal lovers in your house mesmerized (and ready to visit Chicago the next chance you get).
Singapore Zoo
Photo from DepositPhotos (luckybusiness)
The Singapore Zoo has a wide variety of animals on their page to learn about along with each animal’s International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) ranking on the list of endanger species. Need to find out more about the African Painted Dog? Always wondered about the C0tton-Top Tamarin? Have to know where the Malayan Flying Fox lives (it’s Southeast Asia btw)? The Singapore Zoo has exactly what you need.
St. Louis Zoo
Something a little different is the St. Louis Zoo’s YouTube page. Or as they call it – ZooTube! The virtual zoo channel is full of hockey mascots visiting the zoo, lots of baby animals and clips of bears. Perfect for the animal lovers who love to see their animals live and in action.
Toronto Zoo
Photo from DepositPhotos (katekrav)
Toronto Zoo‘s website not only has a wide list of animals, filtered by where they naturally reside in the world. It also includes information about the plants around the zoo and at their onsite greenhouse.
Wellington Zoo
Photo from DepositPhotos (Curioso_Travel_Photography)
Blue Tongued Skinks! Copybara! Emus! The Wellington Zoo in New Zealand gives you info on the animals that are at their zoo along with each species level of concern with the IUCN.
Wildwood Discovery Park
Photo courtesy of Wildwood Discovery Group
A wildlife park in Kent, England, Wildwood Discovery Park is home to more than 200 different species that have been native to that area. Looking through their virtual zoo of info about animal eating habits and other fun facts will help your family feel like they’re in Great Britain.
Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park
Photo courtesy of Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park
A staple of Tampa for years, Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park provides a look at a variety of animals. The most popular we think is the manatee. Zoo Tampa has its own manatee critical care center on site. Which means their virtual zoo provides lots of data about the official state marine mammal of Florida! Learn all about manatees’ habitats, diet and the efforts the zoo is taking to help maintain their existence in the wild. Oh and they also have lots of info about the pygmy hippo and Florida panther along with other animals.
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