Drop whatever you're doing; it's probably bad for your mental health, anyway. Instead, log into your Netflix account and spend some time watching adorable baby gorillas! Baby animals offer an incomparable serotonin boost, and Netflix is capitalizing on that. Starting Sept. 7 and running through the end of the month, a group of precious primates at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo will be featured in a weekly two-hour livestream.
Netflix users everywhere get the unique opportunity to see what kind of shenanigans the troop gets into each week. (Did you know that a group of gorillas is called a troop?) "Baby Gorilla Cam" will introduce viewers to one adult male — Mokolo — and four adult females — Kebi Moyo, Fredrika, Nneka, and Tusa. But, arguably most exciting, the featured gorilla family includes two babies: Kayembe and a yet-to-be-named female newborn (more on that in a minute). Is there anything cuter?!
After each livestream, the footage will be available on demand, making it the perfect escape on a hellish day and a chance to distract your own troop at a moment's notice. Even if gorillas aren't your favorite animal, this will surely be super cute — not to mention an educational opportunity for kiddos. And who knows? If this does well for Netflix, maybe we'll see more live streams of other animals in the future.
Now, want to get even more involved and invested? Remember that as-of-yet-unnamed baby female gorilla mentioned above? Through Sept. 12, you can actually enter a competition to help name the baby! All your fam has to do is head to Instagram with your best suggestions and tag @clemetzoo. The winning name with the highest number of votes will be revealed during the second episode. Please, for the love of Dian Fossey, do not let them name her Gorilla McRillaface.
"We can't wait for people from all around the world to get to know our dynamic gorilla troop and elevate the work that's being done to save this critically endangered species," Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Executive Director Dr. Chris Kuhar said in a press statement. "In addition, this opportunity is a celebration of our newest member of the troop, and we look forward to seeing what name viewers choose."
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is home to 2,000 animals from across the globe. However, they're currently most proud of their thriving gorilla troop. The zoo is even a partner of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.
If you ever get the chance to visit CMZ, you can also see elephants, zebras, and giraffes in the African Savannah area. Kids and adults can enjoy seeing koalas, kangaroos, and wallabies in their Australia Adventure section. The zoo also boasts exhibits centered on rainforest animals, a cat house, and many others.
Aside from its massive collection of well-loved animals, the zoo also draws in big crowds each year during its Asian Lantern Festival, which can be seen and participated in by walking or driving through it. The festival features brightly lit lanterns, of course, as well as Asian food and performances from Asian acrobats. Shut up and take my money!
While no additional details related to other Netflix livestreams have been announced yet... why not? A morning with the wallabies would be absolutely uplifting. In the meantime, if the "Baby Gorilla Cam" makes your family want to watch even more animal adorableness, you can always Google search "livestream + [your favorite animal]." There will be a zoo somewhere ready to let you peek inside their habitats. Case in point? The panda cam at our Smithsonian National Zoo is highly entertaining.
But up first: Baby gorillas in Cleveland, Ohio!
