Netflix Quietly Launches a Baby Animal Livestream Show From Cleveland Zoo
Netflix has launched an intriguing new show entitled Baby Animal Cam: A weekly live show streamed from cameras placed inside Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
It is a far cry from the shows Netflix is best-known for streaming, hits like Squid Game, Money Heist, and Stranger Things all feature complex plots and characters — None of that exists in Baby Animal Cam.
Instead, Baby Animal Cam promises the viewer that it will “keep an eye on the daily routines, quirky habits, and cozy habitats of several baby animals at Cleveland Metroparks.”
Or as The Guardian TV critic Stuart Heritage puts it: “What if I told you that there are no presenters or dialogue? What if I told you that literally nothing happens in it whatsoever, and that it’s on for two hours then pretty much ends without warning, and it’s on again on Thursday evening?”
idk why im watching this but it's so cute #BabyAnimalCam pic.twitter.com/sPcfjno0kU
— sof! (@filterhak) October 12, 2023
The two-hour show flicks from enclosure to enclosure, allowing viewers to see what the Western lowland gorillas are up to, as well as the Eastern black rhinos, Bornean orangutans, and Asian small-clawed otters.
On occasion, the viewer will receive a pop-up graphic specifying the enclosure they’re looking at and what the animals might do in there.
The first episode aired last Thursday (October 12) and it will continue until November 2. Of course, viewers don’t have to tune in live, they can watch it on demand anytime.
Dear Netflix #babyanimalcam ,
We need more otters. We need constant otters. Never take it off the otters or my dog will start crying and won’t stop till they come back on. Please for the love of god, my dog needs this!!! pic.twitter.com/fJiI46Y9jI
— Vron (@attackit) October 16, 2023
The show fits into the slow television category which was popularized in Norway when the Norweigan Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) aired footage of a seven-hour train journey from Bergen to Oslo in 2009.
Trail cameras are proving to be extremely popular, with more and more of the remote devices proliferating across the United States and beyond.
Netflix could be taking advantage of this enthusiasm but they could also be scrambling for ideas as the SAG and WGA strikes begin to bite. Either way, it is a win for baby animal fans.
Image credits: Netflix
