Aquarium coronavirus lockdown gives dolphins chance to meet a sloth
With human visitors gone, celebrity sloth Chico hangs out with dolphins at the Texas State Aquarium.
Is it just me or do those dolphins look extra happy to see a sloth?
The Texas State Aquarium is currently closed to the public due to social distancing requirements, but that hasn't stopped the animals inside from hanging out with new friends.
Texas State Aquarium staff have apparently been giving some animals a chance to explore parts of the aquarium and meet other creatures in different habitats. When a celebrity sloth named Chico got to meet some new dolphin buddies, the dolphins appeared to love the playdate.
The 3-year-old sloth took a break from his usual enclosure when the staff took him on a tour around the Gulf of Mexico exhibit, which included meeting ducks, seahorses and jellyfish. Because roaming around on his own would have been difficult, staff carried him around hanging by a large branch.
The highlight of the trip seemed to be when the dolphins met Chico. "Liko and Schooner were very curious, and Liko was even inspired to attempt an upside-down sloth impression," the aquarium posted on Facebook.
With the Aquarium temporarily closed, Chico the sloth had the opportunity for an up-close and personal meeting with some...
Posted by Texas State Aquarium on Thursday, March 26, 2020
The aquarium frequently give its animals a chance to "meet" each other as a form of enrichment "which helps keep them active in body and mind," a Texas State Aquarium spokesperson told the Bored Panda blog on Thursday. "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."
Sloths and dolphins aren't the only animals having fun during aquarium lockdowns. In March, a group of curious penguins roamed Chicago's Shedd Aquarium to visit other animals and tour the exhibits.