North Georgia Zoo offers daily 'Wildlife Wonders'

CLEVELAND, Ga. - From the howling wolves to the hooting owls, it's never quiet inside Cleveland's North Georgia Zoo.  But because of social distancing, it is quieter than normal -- which is why zoo staffers are finding new ways to connect with animal lovers.

Right now, the North Georgia Zoo is closed to the public due to the governor's shelter-in-place order. But staffers there are welcoming visitors through virtual programming, including a series of daily Facebook videos called Wildlife Wonders at 1.

"We're either doing a live video or a pre-recorded video at one o'clock every day to give a presentation, maybe three to five minutes, about an animal, so that they can connect with their kids, learn a little bit more about the animals, and get to see them still," says Rachel Heck. 

So far the Wildlife Wonders at 1 videos have featured visits with alligators, camels, and -- the day we visited -- a one-year-old two-toed sloth.  And while those videos are posted for free, the zoo is also featuring some paid virtual programming, like one-on-one zookeeper chats.

"They can pay for time to chat with a zookeeper, where their child can actually ask questions about an animal -- there will be an animal there -- and they can interact with that zookeeper," says Hope Bennett.

There are also links online to donate to the North Georgia Zoo, which staff members say will go toward feeding the animals.  They also say there's been a tremendous amount of community outreach, with neighbors dropping off food and donations for the animals. 

You can click over to the North Georgia Zoo website here.  And to get a look at how the animals are doing, click on the video player and watch our visit to the Cleveland attraction!