Where Are the Wild Things? On YouTube.

The Wall Street Journal blog recently reported that in tough economic times, zoos and aquariums are turning to YouTube to introduce their animals and exhibits to new audiences. Some are getting incredible traction, like the Monterey Bay Aquarium, whose video about a fish with a transparent head has received over 1.7 million views and attention from National Geographic and Steven Colbert.

Also, as state and federal budgets are cut, other zoos and aquariums are using YouTube to launch advocacy campaigns to save their funding. The Bronx Zoo released two adorable PSAs featuring a porcupine whose "job" had been terminated. Here's one of them:



Says Luke Groskin who produced the Bronx Zoo videos, "we’ve amassed roughly 70,000 letters, emails, petitions" and in a recent follow-up email, "it looks very likely that NY state is going to restore all of our funding! We credit this likely turn around in part to our public awareness campaign - particularly the placement it received in YouTube."