National Zoo Panda Cam

As it turns out, the internet loves animals. It is therefore no wonder that another popular manifestation of the webcam has been animal cams. Most often inside zoos or nature conservations, organizations fix webcams on animals and publish the feeds from them live online for anyone to see. From the National Zoo's Panda Cam and SeaWorld's Penguin Cam to more impromptu setups like the Shiba Inu Cam in a California home, animal cams have positively become an online phenomenon.

Webcams deal in the ordinary, but they also deal in the exotic and extravagant. As nature continues to be encroached on by development, cams placed out in the wild may provide a glimpse into a fleeting reality. More critically, animal cams develop an affective space. For regular viewers of these streams, the 'story' is of essence. People feel an emotional connection towards these animals by following their development and sharing details with one another. By providing supplementary details about the animals and their situation, organizations move viewers into promoting nature preservation efforts by steering the narrative in such ways that might encourage donation or getting politically active.

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