We love field trips, but sometimes organizing an excursion just can’t happen. Fortunately, we live in a time when technology can bring the excitement to us. The pandemic encouraged many zoos and aquariums to put in the effort to bridge the gap for visitors at home. Now, we’re able to share this list of fantastic virtual zoo field trips, virtual zoo tours, and zoo cams you can enjoy from anywhere.
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Best Virtual Zoo Field Trips, Virtual Zoo Tours, and Zoo Cams
The San Diego Zoo has a “Watch and Learn” section on its website. Here, students can check out the fantastic zoo cams including the burrowing-owl cam, giraffe cam, elephant cam, and many more.
While the Atlanta Zoo’s zoo cam is dedicated to pandas, they offer many videos and activities that feature bird watching, sloths, lemurs, monkeys, and more.
Located in Tucson, Arizona, Reid Park Zoo features a variety of delightful zoo cams designed to give kids a virtual zoo field trip to see the elephants, giraffes, grizzly bears, lions, and more.
Tembe Elephant Park is located in a remote area of South Africa. Renowned for having the largest elephants in the world, these zoo cams offer sights such as sand forests and wetlands, leopards, rhinos, and, of course, elephants.
This extensive cam takes us inside the gorilla forest corridor in the Democratic Republic of Congo while connecting the habitat with the night quarters at the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center (GRACE).
Take a virtual zoo tour down to Texas and enjoy the live zoo cams set up by the Houston Zoo, allowing you to peer into the lives of giraffes, gorillas, elephants, and flamingos.
Head to Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, to witness the annual polar bear migration. Discovery Education has teamed up with Polar Bears International to host a series that explores some of the biggest questions about the Arctic.
Bring your classroom to life with animals from the Oregon Zoo. The Wildlife Live videos are aligned to different subject content areas, which are listed at the site. New videos are also posted regularly on the zoo’s social media channels. A few times every week, they go behind the scenes for a live interview with animal-care staff. Each live video is accompanied by a kid-approved activity related to the featured animal.
Let’s check out the virtual zoo field trips with PBS LearningMedia. At Zoo Miami, Penny and the KidVision VPK kids wash rhinos, feed giraffes, study a zebra’s stripes, and ride a camel. Lions and tigers and apes, oh my!
The cool wolf-pack cam live-broadcasts the adventures of four ambassador wolves: Caz, Blackstone, Rieka, and Grayson. The exhibit stretches across 1.25 acres and includes two dens, a filtered pond, and a forested area.
While San Antonio Zoo virtual field trips aren’t free, they’re very engaging. Enjoy virtual encounters with okapis, hippos, rhinos, and more.
From a virtual zoo tour and chats with staff to showing what the animals are up to and posting activity ideas from their education and conservation teams, the Dallas Zoo’s Bring the Zoo to You web series is perfect for a virtual field trip.
Australia Zoo was the home of the late Steve Irwin, best known as the Crocodile Hunter. His wife, Terri, and children, Bindi and Bob, have continued his legacy. This fantastic YouTube channel offers captivating videos of some of the world’s most fascinating animals.
This virtual zoo field trip takes us to the nation’s capital. Check out animal zoo cams that share a glimpse into the daily lives of black-footed ferrets, naked mole rats, giant pandas, and more.
This British zoo has been going live on Facebook and YouTube to offer a fun and engaging virtual zoo tour packed full of fantastic facts and adorable animal antics.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium has created virtual zoo tour resources to support children’s learning for grades pre-K through 12. The site offers online courses, family-friendly science activities, crafts and printables, and fantastic video lessons (in English and en español) to help young learners who are excited about ocean animals.
These wonderful guided virtual tours through Georgia Aquarium’s galleries allow you to explore the chilly unknown in Cold Water Quest, be immersed in a world of colors as a tropical diver, and more.
Enjoy a virtual zoo tour of the New England Aquarium and check out the projects and activities available to both educators and families. New zoo cam videos premiere on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.
Witness the serene existence of Tuppee and Lightcap, two charming two-toed sloths residing in Sloth Forest, a habitat created as a comfortable “sloth retirement home.”
Peek into the lives of playful penguins, sleek sharks in the Shark Lagoon, the graceful sea nettles, the bustling Tropical Reef, the serene Honda Blue Cavern, and the intriguing coral predators. These webcams, complemented by resource kits, offer a vibrant, educational experience for all ages.
Tune into the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s giraffe cams for a live peek into the lives of giraffes in the African Rift Valley exhibit. These cameras capture the giraffes as they roam, mingle, and interact with visitors hand-feeding them lettuce. It’s a “Way Beyond Watching” experience that brings you up close with these majestic animals from anywhere in the world.
Dive virtually into the world of marine rescue at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Their live webcams offer glimpses into the new Ruth & J.O. Stone Dolphin Complex, home to rescued bottlenose dolphins in a sprawling 1.5 million gallons of Clearwater Bay’s filtered water. Additionally, explore more live cams like the Otter Cam, Pelican Cam, and Mavis’s Rescue Hideaway Cam for a closer look at other rescued marine animals.
Catch a glimpse into the daily lives of Beardsley Zoo’s beloved animals with their live webcams. Be sure to switch between the Indoor and Outdoor Red Panda Cams, the Spider Monkey Cams, and the River Otter Cam to see these creatures exploring their habitats.
Taronga Zoo in Australia offers a fantastic array of live streams featuring koalas, meerkats, tigers, and elephants. Through the zoo’s “Taronga TV,” check out engaging educational videos and live cams that bring the zoo to you!
Visit Scotland virtually with the Edinburgh Zoo’s live cams, featuring pandas, penguins, and koalas. Their dedicated resources provide educational activities for classrooms and families.
Head to YouTube to enjoy live-streamed sessions featuring Fiona the hippo and other fascinating creatures. The Cincinnati Zoo offers a mix of recorded and live educational experiences that can be easily incorporated into your classroom lessons.
New York’s famous Bronx Zoo offers a rich selection of live cams, interactive lessons, and behind-the-scenes peeks at their diverse animal collection, including tigers, gorillas, and sea lions.
These immersive virtual tours and live-streaming webcams feature Japanese macaques, sea otters, and penguins. The Detroit Zoo’s virtual field trip program is great for at-home learning.
During a live video call, students have the unique opportunity to interact with SeaWorld’s animal care specialists—trainers, veterinarians, aquarists, or aviculturists—who work with a variety of marine animals such as killer whales, sea turtles, and penguins. Interested? Teachers can apply for a 30-minute session by submitting a request form. Due to high demand, not all video conference requests can be accommodated so it’s probably best to wait to hear back from SeaWorld before sharing with your students!
This one is … a little different from the other virtual zoo field trips on this list. As you know, the Smithsonian is a museum, so this isn’t a traditional zoo—it’s a historic one! This virtual tour allows students to explore animal exhibits, fossils, and dioramas showcasing wildlife from around the world in 360-degree views.
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