Families across the country will roam beside penguins, giraffes, elephants and even tigers today thanks to a virtual tour being hosted by Chester Zoo.
The facility - of the UK’s largest - is sharing a sneak peak of its sprawling grounds and range of animals to entertain the public during the coronavirus lockdown.
The walkabout, livestreamed on Facebook, kicked off at 10am with a close-up look at its red pandas.
Twitter users shared their joy at the fluffy critters, with one tweeting that watching them was “the best lockdown pick-me-up.”
Another wrote: “Dumped Facebook years ago after having my bank a/c hacked but felt the need to rejoin today solely for the purpose of seeing the live streaming from #ChesterZoo Really enjoyed the rerun of the red pandas.”
And another shared a photo of himself posing beside his screen, writing: "Whenever I visit a zoo, I try and get selfies with the animals.
"I may be visiting Chester Zoo virutally, but today is no different."
Every hour over the course of the day visitors will encounter a different group of animals, ending with a splash at 4pm - with a trip to the aquarium.
Announcing the online treat, the zoo wrote: “Break up the boredom of being at home and, for the first time ever, enjoy a whole day of animal antics, live from your sofa!”
They also hinted that “there may be more surprises throughout the day.”
Schools and teachers have taken to social media to announce the news to their pupils, while parents have also shared their kids’ delight at the “day out”.
One wrote to her child’s school and teacher: “We're having a spelling test this morning but then we'll be off on a field trip to Chester zoo.”
And another shared a photo of her daughter and her, saying: "We’ve been watching @chesterzoo’s live footage this morning, and loving it!
"My daughter insisted we wear peaked caps, so we can pretend we’re ‘on safari’. Here we are, learning all about giraffe poo."
Meanwhile, kids of key workers were also seen enjoying the footage from their classrooms, as the heartwarming event was projected onto whiteboards and walls.
And one parent shared a message to her son's school from the nine-year-old himself, reading: "@BPSTrafford just watched the awesome giraffe tour @chesterzoo.
"If you come across a Malteaser on the floor of the giraffe pen, don't eat it! Love from Max, aged 9 xxx."
