Monterey Bay Aquarium utilizes live animal cameras to bring people close to nature amid COVID-19 stay-at-home order

MONTEREY, Calif. -- Despite being closed to the public, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is utilizing live "animal cams" to bring people closer to nature.

"People love them, they find them relaxing, they can hang out with the jellies, they are amused by the penguins," Ken Peterson, aquarium spokesman said about the live cams. "We even got one cam that points to Monterey Bay and you can look for wildlife. We got our sea otters of course and a variety of others."

The aquarium is also offering many engaging and educational activities through their website and social media accounts for children to learn from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This is a way for them (kids) to stay connected with the world, to get outside the confines of their house and whatever limits they're feeing there," Peterson said. "I think people are feeling really stressed right now, feeling uncertain about the future and this is a place where they can find that same sense of connection, that same sense of peace.

You can find the live cameras on the Monterey Bay Aquarium's website here.

"Be delighted by the antics of our sea otters or mellow out to the hypnotic drifting of our jellies. With ten live cams to choose from, you can experience the wonder of the ocean no matter where you are."

Peterson said the animals are still being cared for by essential staff members while the aquarium is closed.

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