LYNCHBURG, Va. – SeaQuest in Lynchburg is opening its doors for the first time since mid-March.
He may be a bird, but like the rest of us, Gideon misses his social life.
“For Gideon, he’s missing the interaction with the guests and the public that normally come through,” said Shannon Jeirles, the general manager at SeaQuest Lynchburg.
All the animals at SeaQuest were used to daily interaction until COVID-19 kept visitors out.
“Just like when we’re at home right and you get kind of stir-crazy,” Jeirles said, “It’s the same thing for the animals, it’s not getting any different, they get bored you know and they’ll sleep more or they’ll eat more so you want to keep them active and stimulated and as engaged as possible.”
During the past eight weeks, a limited number of staff members did all they could to enrich the lives of these unique animals.
“Finding new ways to keep them entertained, new toys new challenges to present to them has been a big focus for us during this time,” Jeirles said.
Take a pair of otters for example.
“One thing we’ve added is a water feature with the fountains. They are sporadic and it gives them a different way to play with the water,” Jeirles said.
Their “new normal”, like ours, continues to evolve. On Wednesday, opened with 25% occupancy, they also placed stanchions throughout the exhibit to keep people distanced from the animals.
“So right now what our guests will get is a walkthrough experience, much like a regular aquarium,” Jeirles said.
They’re phasing forward with everyone’s best interest in mind.
“It’s a win-win situation for us,” Jeirles said.