Virtual Wildlife

Take a virtual trip to the savannahs of Africa or view the daily parade of the penguins in the Antarctic to transport you to magical places with beautiful wildlife during lockdown.

The COVID 19 pandemic has taken over the Irish nation for the last year. The mundane, everyday trips we used to take now seem like a far-off memory, or adventure from a past life. Travelling to other countries, experiencing new cultures, or simply visiting places that brought us joy in our own country, are no longer possible.

Virtual Penguins

Phillip Island Nature Park (PINP) in Victoria, Australia – an island which is home to an estimated 32,000 little penguins, will be broadcasting the birds’ parade through to mid-March for a four-week livestream season.Live Penguin TV will show the first dedicated livestream of the world’s smallest penguin species as they make their way to their burrows from the sea. PINP chief executive Catherine Basterfield said: “We hope that we can bring some smiles to our friends, all the way from Phillip Island”.The wildlife event will stream live at around 10am daily, and will feature commentary from the park’s rangers, with guest commentators including Ray Mears scheduled to appear virtually. The penguin parade streaming sessions previously took place during Victoria’s Covid-19 lockdown, and were viewed by more than 25 million people.Live Penguin TV will be available to view from the park’s Facebook Page and YouTube channel daily.

Both penguin photo issued by Phillip Island Nature Park of penguins at the PINP in Victoria, Australia.

Take yourself to the beautiful wilderness of Africa with a virtual safari. Northern Ireland-based travel company Mahlatini and &Beyond are hosting daily virtual safaris. The game drives are streamed live from &Beyond Ngala Private Game Reserve and &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve. In true safari style there is a morning and evening game drive, and the exact time is sunrise and sunset dependent but typically they go live at 4am to 7.30am GMT and 1pm to 4.30pm GMT. The drives are interactive and ‘guests’ can ask questions live to the expert guides via Twitter using the #wildearth hashtag and in the Youtube comments section. A great tip for parents - &Beyond dedicate the first 45 minutes of the afternoon game drive to children and kids can ask questions in advance by emailing kidsquestions@wildearth.tv.

Visit andbeyond.com/andbeyond-tv/wildwatch-live/

Dublin Zoo

Closer to home, Dublin Zoo has a number of virtual experiences where you can watch the Western Llowland gorillas, the Asian elephants, meerkats, red pandas and a host more. You can also watch some of the animals including those on the African Plains live through webcams. If you’re home schooling there are lots of educational and fun activities for children. Visit dublinzoo.ie

National Gallery of Ireland

The National Gallery of Ireland offers virtual tours including some of their new exhibitions. As you wander the halls (and you can use a VR device) you can gaze at beautiful art including Two Ballet Dancers in a Dressing Room by Edgar Degas, A Ship against the Mewstone by J.M.W. Turner and The Liffey Swim by Jack B. Yeats. There is a special collection of Irish Women Artists from the Archives and a virtual tour of The Grand Gallery, where each piece has a link to Ireland. Virtual visits are free, except for new exhibitions where there is a fee, Visit nationalgallery.ie/virtual-tour