SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- A smile flashes across Raymond Clark's face as the 8-year-old watches ZooTV, a welcome distraction from needle pokes and other tests during his treatment for a heart defect here at Sanford Children's Hospital.
The Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls launched ZooTV in March, using 14 weather-proof cameras to shoot live video in several exhibits. The idea behind the project is to comfort sick children, provide some normalcy for them and take their minds off medical procedures, says Carrie Kindopp, child life manager at Sanford.
"It's very comforting to them," she says.
Raymond, doesn't hesitate when asked about his favorite animals to watch.
"Tigers," he says with a wide grin.
ZooTV is one of a growing number of partnerships between hospitals and zoos to help comfort children who are, in many cases, waging life-and-death battles against cancer and other serious illnesses.
Video of tigers, monkeys, giraffes and some underwater creatures are being beamed into patient rooms in cities including Sioux Falls, Palo Alto, Calif., and Rochester, Minn.
Great Plains Zoo President and CEO Elizabeth Whealy says "we have a camera right over the feeder in the giraffe barn, so you get to stare into their great big eyes."
"It's almost like CNN -- you see the animals in the exhibit but you also get some fun facts," Whealy says. "There's a crawl on the bottom of the screen, so you really learn about these animals as you watch."
In Texas, Houston Zoo officials plan to break ground Thursday on the first phase of their $45 million African Forest project. The expansion will include at least 17 cameras focused on chimpanzees, rhinos, giraffes and other animals when it opens to the public around December 2010, Houston Zoo Director Rick Barongi says.
Barongi says he was discussing long-term plans with a zoo board member about six or seven years ago when they hit on the idea.
"We were talking about how the medical center is right across the street, and we said, 'These kids are not healthy enough to come here; how can we bring the zoo to them?' " Barongi recalls.
Barongi says the goal is to make the cameras as interactive as possible so children will be able to communicate with zookeepers via text messages or some other system.
In Palo Alto, Calif., children at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University can watch penguins and other marine animals at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, hospital spokesman Robert Dicks says. The system has been in place for about six months.
In Rochester, Minn., the T. Denny Sanford Pediatric Center -- part of the Mayo Clinic which opened in June 2007 -- has a Web cam in the lobby where visitors can watch live video of animals at the Minnesota Zoo.
The idea of using animals to help children cope with hospital stays shares similarities with pet therapy, says Jan Haugen-Rogers, vice president of children's services at Sanford.
ZooTV is available throughout the Sanford Health System's sprawling campus, which includes the children's hospital and Sanford USD Medical Center, so adults have a chance to watch it, too.
"It really does impact how they physically heal," Kindopp says.
Martin reports for the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, S.D.
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