An aquarium has let its penguins explore and visit other animals after closing to humans.

Staff at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago decided to make the best of a bad situation for its animals after closing to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which was recently declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

In a tweet, the aquarium announced its closure, writing: "As part of preventative measures to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Shedd Aquarium will be temporarily closed for the next two weeks."

This was shortly followed by a video revealing that while no humans would be having fun at the aquarium for the next two weeks, at least, its penguins were being given the opportunity to explore its empty walkways and meet other animals.

Watch them exploring below: 

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The video above was captioned: "Penguins in the Amazon?! 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."

This video was then followed by another update about the penguins' activities in the empty aquarium.

It read: "The adventure continues! This morning, Edward and Annie explored Shedd's rotunda. They are a bonded pair of rockhopper penguins, which means they are together for nesting season. Springtime is nesting season for penguins at Shedd, and this year is no different!"

Watch Edward and Annie below: 

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The zoo then explained that Edward and Anne will begin to build their nests next week, and even though it is closed, people can still keep up with their activities thanks to the internet.

"Penguins like Edward and Annie will begin to build their nests next week," the zoo wrote. "Join us digitally for nesting coverage! In the meantime, we will be sharing lots of different animal updates (and yes, Wellington will return!)"

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While life, for many, has been turned upside down because of the coronavirus, the zoo explained that for the animals, at least, there was a sense of normality at the zoo.

The zoo wrote: "While this may be a strange time for us, these days feel normal for animals at Shedd. Our caregivers are constantly providing new experiences for the animals to explore and express their natural behaviors with. Let us know what penguin activities you would like to see!"

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The news comes as the World Health Organisation's most recent report revealed that there have been a total of 167, 511 confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally, and 6,606 deaths.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed life as we know it for the foreseeable future.

Naturally, the pandemic has had an impact on the lives of animals too, particularly zoo animals. So much so that last month, we covered an aquarium that was letting its penguins explore the entire facility after it closed its doors to humans.

This is the moment penguins met a beluga whale: 

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Now, another aquarium has followed suit and provided its animals with some very unusual entertainment that they would never see in the animal kingdom. They have placed sloths outside the dolphin enclosure!

The unusual pairing took place at the Texas State Aquarium, and as the pictures below demonstrate, the dolphins were absolutely fascinated by the sloths - an animal they'd never see in the wild.

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In an interview with Bored Panda, an aquarium spokesperson said: "We frequently give the animals a chance to 'meet' each other as a form of enrichment, which helps keep them active in body and mind.

"As some of our most popular animals, it seemed an obvious choice for our sloths and dolphins to get a chance to see each other while we were temporarily closed.

"We have another sloth, Xena, but on that day, she was more interested in sleeping than meeting the dolphins!"

Typical sloth, eh?!

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Chico, a three-year-old sloth also got the chance to meet various animals at the zoo including seahorses, a shark, and some fish.

The spokesperson continued: "Besides making for some fin-tastic photo ops, these animal interspecies meetups are just one of the many ways we are 'closed but still caring' during the COVID-19 situation.

"Along with enrichment opportunities for our animals, our staff is still busy at work preparing meals for and feeding the animals, maintaining their habitats, and looking after their medical care, to name just a few tasks."

If you would like to keep up with the animals at the Texas State Aquarium, you can follow their Facebook page.

Now that the coronavirus has officially been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, it seems like many people will be forced to go into quarantine and be stuck indoors for the time being. However, self-isolation doesn't mean you have to be bored, although a lot of people will be missing the experience of nature.

If you're one of those people then you might be pleased to know that there are plenty of zoos and aquariums out there that are offering a chance for you to engage with their animals remotely, via their incredible live-stream experiences. Interested? Then scroll down to check out what's on offer:

Watch this video to see if you should self-isolate from the coronavirus:

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1. Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens

The Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Seminole in Florida has been closed until further notice, but they've just launched a new initiative called: The Zoo Comes to You - a Facebook Live series which airs on weekdays at 2 pm EST, and in yesterday's episode they filmed an adorable little bunny chowing down on some fresh veg. Awww!

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2. The Houston Zoo

The Houston Zoo has been providing its Facebook followers with live video updates on its animals, and on Monday the uploaded one showing their zookeepers feeding their giraffes. Viewers also have the chance to ask the keepers questions about the animals in the comments.

3. Monterey Bay Aquarium

The Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey in California has been showing off a number of live feeds of their animals, such as penguins, sharks, jellyfish, and birds, which you can check out on the aquarium’s website.

4. Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden

Since closing on March 14, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden has launched a video series on Facebook Live called Home Safari. This interactive experience also includes home activities like an online quiz. Home Safari airs at 3 pm EST, and their latest episode featured a Nile hippo named Fiona.

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5. San Diego Zoo

The San Diego Zoo has 10 different live cams for you to watch their animals on, as well as archived videos of their pandas from January through April 2019. If you visit the zoo's website, you can check out their clips of baboons, penguins, polar bears, apes, koalas, giraffes, owls, elephants, tigers, and condors 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

So there you have it; being stuck indoors doesn't mean that you have to miss out on the wonders of the natural world: it's all still waiting for you!

With our newsfeeds being a constant stream of negativity recently, and with many of us continuing to self-isolate amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we could all do with some light, fluffy, and adorable content right about now.

Well, you'll be pleased to know that Atlanta Humane Society (AHS) has got us all covered - as it recently shared a video of two puppies being taken on a day out to an empty aquarium, where they made "lots of new friends".

Posting the clip on Twitter, the AHS wrote, "Our puppies just had the best. day. ever."

"They got to explore the @GeorgiaAquarium while it is closed to the public," the organization added. "They made all sorts of exciting discoveries and lots of new friends!"

Check out the heartwarming video below:

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Georgia Aquarium, which hosted the gorgeous canines, also wrote about the delightful experience, adding: "No ruff days here, just a couple of cute puppers from @AtlantaHumane exploring our Ocean Voyager habitat."

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The aquarium then encouraged its Twitter followers to see if they could help provide a loving foster home for dogs like the ones featured in the video.

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"Siblings Odie and Carmel are two of the many dogs from AHS currently residing in loving foster homes," Georgia Aquarium tweeted. "Like us, AHS is dedicated to providing the best care for their animals during this time. See how you can help our friends."

The Atlanta Humane Society goes into further detail about the plea to foster dogs in need of a home:

"Right now, there are dozens of animals waiting at the Atlanta Humane Society, hoping for loving families and forever homes. The most heartbreaking thing to witness in the spring is the massive influx of puppies and kittens to AHS.

"This spring will be one of our busiest, and we are doing our best to prepare for it. But we still need your help, so we can properly provide shelter and care for the dozens of newborn puppies and kittens who will be brought to us.

"Every animal who comes through our doors will have unique needs, and we’ve already stretched our resources to accommodate so many vulnerable dogs and cats. In order to make sure no animal is turned away during the busy spring season, we urgently need your help to provide for them.

"That’s why you’ll notice a wish list below. This list includes basic items that will keep each and every puppy and kitten healthy and happy while they wait for adoption."

If you think you can help, please get in touch.

As humanity has been forced to remain behind closed doors, animals everywhere are making the most of their newfound freedom. No sooner were we all relegated to our sitting rooms than we were bombarded by clips of feral hogs roaming the streets and deer settling in front gardens. As if we needed reminding, nature can be quite beautiful when we’re not in the way. 

Aside from the wild coming to reclaim our cities, some more domesticated critters have taken the opportunity to get to know the neighbors. Footage of penguins patrolling aquariums and introducing themselves to the other residents has provided a much-needed ray of sunshine. What could possibly be cuter than that? The answer, apparently, is kittens. 

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This week, the Atlanta Humane Society released a collection of gorgeous clips as several rescue cats and puppies enjoyed a private tour of the city’s aquarium. The footage, which featured the one-month-old kittens staring at everything from jellyfish to whale sharks, proves that we aren’t the only animals that get a kick out of a trip to the zoo. 

Watch the full video of the aquarium trip here:

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In a caption accompanying a section of the footage on Twitter, the organization wrote:

"After our puppies got to visit the @GeorgiaAquarium, we couldn't resist taking our kittens too!  They couldn't get enough of the beautiful Tropical Diver exhibit, and loooooved the jellies! We hope their adorable adventure puts a smile on your face."

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The Atlanta Humane Society itself has been working to protect vulnerable animals for over 146 years and, according to its website:

"...Believe(s) the relationship between humans and animals has deep significance, and we call on our city and each other to take action. Together we put up a united front against cruelty, neglect, and displacement. With a heart to better lives, we connect homeless animals with good homes and neglected animals with safe spaces - uplifting our community by instilling compassion."