Penguins freely wander US aquarium after coronavirus closure

Penguins at an aquarium in Chicago have been able to visit with other animals during the coronavirus pandemic.

Usually, the penguins are kept behind glass for tourists and visitors to view but after the aquarium was forced to temporarily shut down, the animals were free to roam around, reported Global News.

Shedd Aquarium posted a video on Twitter of one of their penguins walking around on the opposite side of the glass.

The tweet said “Some of the penguins went on a field trip to meet other animals at Shedd. Wellington seemed most interested in the fishes in Amazon Rising! The black-barred silver dollars also seemed interested in their unusual visitor.”

When speaking with the Chicago Tribune, a spokesperson for Shedd noted, “Without guests in the building, caretakers are getting creative in how they provide enrichment to animals.”

“Introducing new experiences, activities, foods and more to keep them active, encourage them to explore, problem-solve and express natural behaviours.”

Some people said they were happy to see a positive video like this come out at such a time.

For now, the aquarium is scheduled to be closed until March 29, according to CNN. Many other attractions are enacting similar precautions to fight the spread of the virus.

J.B. Pritzker, the Illinois Governor said on Sunday, that all bars and restaurants in the state are to shut down until March 30.

In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has closed borders to most non-Canadian citizens.