We’ve all seen plenty of dogs and cats wander by or laze about in video conference calls these days. Maybe it’s time to invite an Arctic fox or Chilean flamingo or some other exotic animal or insect — and put more zoo in your Zoom call.
Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle is launching a new program called “Call of the Wild” to encourage people who are holding virtual meetings, happy hours and other online gatherings to invite a furry, feathered or scaly friend.
The non-profit zoo has been closed to the public since early March in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus. Funds are needed to support animal care and veterinary teams which have continued working and supporting nearly 1,000 animals.
The zoo lists a variety of mammals, birds and insects available to hop on a chat along with a handler who will “be on the line to translate.” Named animals include Harry the skunk, Rico the donkey, Eduardo the three-banded armadillo and many others.
The price is $250 for a 15-minute call, and there are two time slots available per day.
The effort is similar to “Goat 2 Meeting,” a service run by the Sweet Farm animal sanctuary in Half Moon Bay, Calif. The farm works to save farm animals from slaughter and to educate visitors about the impacts of factory farming, according to NPR.
