Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PENGUIN TOWN — Coronavirus is really changing things. Restaurants are closed, people are working from home, toilet paper is just a remembered dream, and penguins now own zoos.
Well, that last part isn't totally true, but some zoos are letting their penguins gor for strolls.
The Guardian put together this video from multiple zoos that have been shut down indefinitely due to the coronavirus showing how they have let their penguins get a taste of what it's like to look at the animals — like all those people they see every day — instead of being looked at.
Granted, penguins are already wildly adorable, but something about them wandering around an empty zoo just takes it to another level. That waddle, the look of pure discovery, and the constant head movement to try and take in everything: it's almost too much for my quarantined heart to take!
My personal favorite is the penguin who comes in around the 30-second mark. This guy or girl — I have no idea what gender the animal is, so we'll call the bird “Earon” to awkwardly cover both sexes with an unfortunate spelling — seems to be sneaking glances back at the person holding the camera every now and again, almost like its asking, "You sure this is cool? I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm all for it, but for real? This is cool? Whoa, a fish. I wanna eat that fish, but I can't get to it. Maybe if I... Wait, I better check to make sure this is cool. You sure this is still cool, me just wandering around looking at fish I want to eat? OK, I'm going to assume it's cool."
Well, Earon, it is cool; because when the zoo is empty, you get to take it for a test drive. But don't eat those fish. That is not cool.
Have You Seen This?
