Recovery & resilience for zoos & aquariums in 2020
No one needs us to repeat what a crazy, tough year it’s been. We don’t think anyone will be too sad to see 2020 go and a fresh, new year begin!
Zoos and aquariums have certainly had it tough with major lockdowns across Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. But just because we were in lockdown didn’t mean animals didn’t still need to be fed and cared for. Despite the challenges, it’s been a great chance to see some shining examples of resilience and appreciate the silver linings this year.
For National Aquarium of New Zealand, 2020 has been a year full of challenge! Closure of their facility for seven weeks showed the adaptability of the team who leapt into action, whether it was the animal team working doing essential work onsite, or the Education team producing loads of exciting online content to engage everyone at home.
They learnt to adapt their programming for those visitors who simply can’t get in to visit anymore, like their Virtual Penguin Encounters. Plus, they continued to show this adaptability in the face of changing Alert Levels, doing their bit, which included a great new line of marine-themed face masks!