The Two Oceans Aquarium may be closed, but that doesn’t mean the penguins who live there are kept in isolation.
The Aquarium’s penguins have always been able to walk about, but now there is even less restriction than before. The Aquarium has been posting the most adorable videos of the penguins on their daily walks, and the videos of these plump little birds hopping down flights of stairs is warming hearts across Cape Town.
This is the first time the Aquarium has been closed since Christmas Day of 1996. It temporarily closed its doors on Wednesday, March 18 and will reopen them on after the lockdown ends.
“Many of our exhibits are interactive by nature and invite people to touch and explore. It is also difficult in the aquarium for people to maintain physical distance while viewing our exhibits. After consultation with our owners and as a responsible tourism destination, we believe that a temporary closure is in the best interests of our staff, volunteers, members and general visitors,” CEO Michael Farquhar said to IOL. “While our public-facing operations will be closed our animal husbandry and technical teams will continue to care for the animals while taking the necessary precautions to protect themselves against the spread of Covid-19.”
See the adorable little birds enjoying their new found freedom below:
Even though the Two Oceans Aquarium is closed amid the #COVID19 pandemic, our staff are still hard at work caring for our animals. For our precious #penguins, like little Jasmin, no public visitors means getting to have the Aquarium to themselves! ? pic.twitter.com/LS7UfaUmE6
— Two Oceans Aquarium (@2OceansAquarium) March 22, 2020
Meet Ayoba the African #penguin! ? With our office staff now working from home as a precautionary measure during the #coronavirus #covid19 pandemic, “supervisor” Ayoba is spending more quality time with his mate Gaia. (hope this gives you as much joy as penguins on stairs) pic.twitter.com/ddUOofsjHh
— Two Oceans Aquarium (@2OceansAquarium) March 20, 2020
Picture: Twitter
