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St. Louis Zoo Goes Virtual For Would-Be Visitors

The Sichuan takins enjoying a bubble party at the St. Louis Zoo.
St. Louis Zoo
The Sichuan takins enjoying a bubble party at the St. Louis Zoo.

Things have been pretty quiet lately at one of the region’s most visited attractions — the St. Louis Zoo. On March 17, it closed its doors to the public to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

While the organization is operating under unusual circumstances and with limited staff, zoo fun continues on its social media feeds. Their #BringTheStlZooToYou initiative involves photos and videos of the zoo’s residents from its animal care teams. 

Keepers are continuing to enrich the animals by altering their physical environment. They’re also modifying care, creating social groupings and increasing sensory stimulations — like bubble parties. 

People can enjoy daily updates on the zoo’s blog page, and follow along on FacebookInstagramTwitter or STLZOOms live webinars with zoo educators. Via live cams and posts, you can get virtual kisses from some harbor seals, see orangutans practicing great hand-washing techniques, follow along the alpacas’ field trip across the zoo grounds, and watch the penguins enjoying a bubble party.

On Thursday’s St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Zoo director Michael Macek joined host Sarah Fenske to discuss how the organization is adjusting to the area’s new reality and connecting with area residents via the #BringTheSTLZooToYou updates.

Listen to the conversation:

St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill, Lara Hamdan and Joshua Phelps. The engineer is Aaron Doerr, and production assistance is provided by Charlie McDonald.

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Lara is the Engagement Editor at St. Louis Public Radio.