For most kids, you can’t beat a trip to the zoo, but for those unfortunate kids whose immune systems are too weak to endure such an excursion, that’s an impossibility. Now, thanks to a clever partnership involving the San Diego Zoo’s 24/7 streaming service, those kids have the chance to experience it from their hospital beds. The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s Wildlife Explorers Channel streams around-the-clock animal encounters and educational programming in hospitals, bringing the joy of the zoo into patient rooms. What started locally at Rady Children’s Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego has grown into a global network now reaching more than 400 hospitals and medical facilities across 48 states and 12 countries besides, with an estimated 25 million viewers annually.
