Over the last month and a half, the world was seemingly taken over by the 24/7 webcam watching April, an expectant reticulated giraffe who lives in Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, NY. Although there were a few early false alarms (“April is having the baby any minute!”), the park’s vet and very able caretakers eventually settled into waiting and watching, all the while educating the hundreds of thousands of daily viewers about giraffes and conservation efforts.

Along with more than a million viewers across the globe, I was lucky enough to be tuned in at roughly 10 AM on tax day when April, with papa Oliver pacing adorably in the background, finally gave birth to a perfect, tiny* (*6′ tall, 150 lb.) male replica of herself. It was a tremendous experience, and I’ll never forget it. I mistily watched as the baby took its first wobbly steps, nursed, and started exploring its world. The whole process was awe-inspiring and life-affirming at a time when many of us need something positive to hold onto.

On April 21, the park took down the 24/7 April the Giraffe cam, I presume for cost reasons. They will be announcing a live streaming schedule during which we can still check in with the giraffe celebrities. In the meantime, I have realized that the webcam was a great de-stressing tool for me. It was wonderful to have something peaceful and uncomplicated to watch whenever I needed it. I knew I wanted to find a replacement, so I went hunting. No, not literally.

What I found was an organization called EXPLORE.org. They have such a wonderful embarrassment of riches in the live animal webcam department, I find myself a little overwhelmed! How to decide?

While I’m still checking out the available webcams, here are a few of my current faves!

From Explore Dogs:

• Great Dane Nursery Cam (Days-old Great Dane puppies which will be trained as service dogs)
• ECAD – Alexandrea’s Litter (Fat, happy, chaotic Golden Retriever puppies, also on their way to being service dogs)

From Explore Birds, Bats, and Bees:

• Decorah Eagles – North Nest
• Audubon Osprey Nest (No eggs yet, but a very handsome mating pair)

From Explore Oceans:

• Cayman Reef Cam
• Gray Seal Puppy cam

There are also channels showing African wildlife refuge cams, big cat rescue sites, bears & bison in natural habitats, farm animals, and my personal fave, the channel they call the Zen Den, which offers wonders like the Northern Lights in Manitoba, waterfront views from Waimea Bay, and peaceful scenes from Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park in California.

Happy viewing!