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If you are one of the thousands who "witnessed" the birth of Lily the Bear's new cubs - via web cam - then you already know how technology brings us into the dens, nests, pens, warrens, water holes and stalls of so many animals. Playing Peeping Tom to wildlife is nothing new (i.e., zoos), but whether its puppies or bears, the animal cam provides a valuable window to the day-to-day lives of animals.
My BlogHer colleague, Paula G., was one of the Lily fans who got swept up in the births. Her enthusiasm was infectious. "I watched it live (luck!!) and I could see the viewers in the player spike from 18,000 to over 46,000 when she was in full blown labor ... a spiritual experience watching her," said Paula.
When I imagine such a far flung "community: of people all witnessing the same emotional moment, the words "magical" and "miracle" do come to mind, even if we are talking about technology. Whatever helps us know and understand animals on a personal level can only be a good thing. Thanks to a web cam, I now have an inexplicable crush on armadillos. (Explained later in this post.)
Occasionally, the web cam goes beyond the original intention. In 2005, Bev Holzrichter, a horse breeder in Charlotte, Iowa, had set up a webcam in the stall of an expectant mare, Sierra. Though technically alone (Bev's husband was away for several days) she actually had many eyeballs on the scene, which ended up saving her life.
The birth of Sierra's foal was being recorded by the live web cam and hundreds of people around the world were anxiously awaiting the new arrival. But after the delivery, Sierra - now a nervous new mother - kicked Bev three times, catching her right elbow and right knee - pulling all the tendons.
Bev had been on the phone with Wendy Wiener, one of the many web watchers, who was calling from California to congratulate her on the birth. (The two women had never met, at that point.) They ended the call and then the accident occurred. Weiner saw what happened via the cam and called Bev back, who luckily still had the phone in her hand.
Wendy kept Bev talking while alerting the other viewers to call for help. Urgent calls were made to local emergency officials - including one from Berlin - and help soon arrived. Huzzah!
Speaking of web cam heroics, I am pleased that my utility company, Xcel Energy, is the world's first company of its kind to install nesting boxes for wild birds at their facilities; the bird cams were the natural next step. When the American Bald Eagles begin nesting at their Fort Vrain Station (Platteville, CO), it signals the official kickoff to Xcel's "Bird Cam Season." In addition to the eagles, their cameras feature Great Horned owls, osprey, falcons and kestrels.
"The open space, vegetation, and water surrounding our power plant sites makes them excellent homes for wildlife. We have installed web-based Bird Cams at several of our facilities to help raise awareness of these wild creatures and share them with the public. The Bird Cam news will get you caught up on the latest information from the nests."
--Xcel Bird Cam Page
One of the most popular animal cams around, Africam, offers live feeds from the African Bush, Bahamas and polar bear environments. The site's "Recent Video Highlights" include baboons eating seeds, wandering warthog families and hyenas harassing hippos. As someone who spent three months in Africa, seeking wildlife to observe, these webcams offer an admirable slice of that experience - minus the airfare, numerous inoculations and giant bugs.
But it's not just the big game that get the spotlight, doggie daycares have begun to utilize the web cam for customers who want to check in on their pets. I'd love to hear from any of you that have utilized this. I imagine that it offers peace of mind as well as some darn cute entertainment.
Another BlogHer pal, Maria Niles, directed me to the Shiba Inu Puppy Cam. I've discovered that I like to just leave it on while I'm working. Even if I'm not looking at it, hearing the occasional whimper or pup squeak does me good. (Since I'm in between pets right now, I'll take my puppy energy where I can get it.)
Same goes for Craig Newmark's (of Craigslist) hummingbird cam, which I have on right now. I like hearing
