JUST because you're at home socially distancing doesn't mean you need to miss out on a trip to the zoo.
Some of Australia's best wildlife encounters now have online streaming experiences, so you can watch the animals in the comfort of your own home.
The Australian Reptile Park invites people to connect with wildlife virtually with keepers still working hard to feed and look after all animals. Making educational videos to assist parents who are now homeschooling their children, the videos will be called Animal Tales With Tim Faulkner.
The Australian Reptile Park will also be live-streaming zookeepers daily, showcasing their favourite animals and answering viewer questions. This will include feeding Elvis, the saltwater crocodile, play time and cuddles with dingoes, feeding cuddly koalas and virtual tours of different areas within the park.
Taronga Zoo has launched Taronga TV with live streams at both the Sydney and Dubbo parks. You can tune in daily to immerse yourself in fascinating content, including shows, keeper talks and 24/7 live-streams of Sumatran tigers, Asian elephants and the Greater Southern Oceans precinct. Plus you can learn what goes on behind the scenes when the zoo is closed.
If you've ever wanted to learn more about Australia's most colourful sea life, the amazing aquarists at SEA LIFE Melbourne will livestream from the aquarium taking you on a journey of discovery into marine life. Tune in via their Facebook page for each of their special live Q&A sessions, and while you're there take a scroll through their series of posts to learn all about the fishy characters swimming around in Melbourne!
Tune in to feeding and cuddling time at SEA LIFE Sydney and Wild Life Sydney Zoo, with their special live streams of lunchtime with the penguins, the impressive croc feed with Rocky the saltwater crocodile, and quokka cuddle time with Davey, your new smiley furry friend.
The CaPTA Group Wildlife Parks in Queensland are sharing a daily dose of cuteness on their Cairns ZOOM Facebook page, which includes a live stream of their beautiful Australian wildlife in "hibernation mode" and Q&As with the zoo keepers.
Zoos Victoria has set up live streams at some Melbourne Zoo and Werribee Open Range Zoo enclosures, including some adorable snow leopard cubs who nap frequently. Or watch over the friendly penguins, lazy lions and wandering giraffes.
Tune in for heart-warming live streams of cute and cuddly koalas at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Queensland. There's a range of koala cams to tune into, from the koala cuddle train to young joyful joeys, this is the wholesome content you need.
If you're longing for the seaside The Nature Conservancy has above and below reef cams. Located at Pope's Eye, within Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park, Victoria, see some of the life teeming in Port Phillip Bay. On the underwater camera, see habitat, fish, seals and even dolphins, or on the above the water camera, take in views of birds nesting in the area - such as Australasian gannets and black-faced cormorants. The webcam is solar powered and therefore only operates during local daylight hours and when there is enough sun - but a highlights stream is played when it's offline.
For something more educational to watch with the kids, unlock the mysteries of the Great Barrier Reef and see what some of Australia's favourite reef animals are up to with Reef Tracks by Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef. With real-time data, track turtles, sharks and manta rays which show their movements and location since they were first tagged by researchers to better understand these amazing creatures and support their future through science.
Live vicariously through one of Australia's most beautiful birds via BirdLife Australia Discovery Centre's EagleCAM, a live stream of a resident pair of Sydney's white-bellied sea eagles. The live stream is an interactive, interpretive hub that provides opportunities for people to learn about and engage with the eagles in their natural habitat.
