There’s nothing like spending some relaxing time in a natural
environment. It does a body good — mentally and physically — to go
into new or familiar surroundings while basking in the full-bodied
sights and sounds of a forest, a stream or a marine shoreline.
We are fortunate in the Puget Sound region to have easy and free
(or low-cost) access to all sorts of natural places. If we are
lucky, we may catch a glimpse of wildlife and incorporate the
sighting into our memory of that place.
What we don’t normally see, however, are the natural behaviors
of wildlife away from people, because the presence of humans often
changes what they are doing — nor would we want to impose on their
lives any more than we already do.
Millions of people watched and waited online for April the
giraffe to give birth at Animal Adventure Park near Harpursville,
N.Y. — although I am not sure how many were viewing live at the
moment of birth. Of course, it is now recorded on YouTube for
anyone to see.
As of yesterday, zoo officials announced on
Facebook that a new camera will be installed to allow
occasional viewing at times to be announced. For a $5 subscription,
you can sign up for text alerts about the baby. This has become a
real money-maker for the zoo. Frankly, I’m amazed at the level of
interest, but it will probably decline now that the baby has
arrived.
Each spring, I post an Amusing Monday piece showing where to
find some of the best critter cams around the world. I’m pleased to
report an ever-expanding number of cameras, not only those in zoos
and aquariums but also those in outdoor locations where wildlife
experts can study animals without disturbing them. Because of the
Internet, we are able to essentially look over the shoulders of
researchers and even watch the animals when official observers are
not around.
Explore.org, a division of the
Annenberg Foundation, is becoming the go-to website for connecting
people live with animals via webcams. As I write this, the number
of live video feeds listed on the website totals 65, although the
number changes frequently as a result of shifts in animal activity
as well as technical issues. Scroll down below the video player for
text messaging related to each camera for interactions between
video operators and online observers.
