The Moscow Zoo has announced plans to install webcams in its enclosures, allowing animal-lovers to observe their favorite beasts from the comfort of their own homes.
"We have these cameras in our plans, but organizing the broadcast on our own will be problematic: The telecom signal at the zoo is rather weak," spokesperson Anna Kachurovskaya told local broadcaster M24.ru.
The webcam installation, which will be carried out in conjunction with ongoing renovations at the zoo, has an initial startup cost of about 100,000 rubles ($2,600), according to media expert Anton Korobkov-Zemlyansky.
The broadcasts will also cost dozens of thousands of rubles to maintain, Korobkov-Zemlyansky told M24.ru, but added that the money could be generated from advertising. The park is also planning to sell zoo membership cards to raise the necessary funds for the project, the report said.
Natalia Drobova, a World Wildlife Fund coordinator, said the project would likely be a success and that demand should be particularly high for broadcasts showing young animals. She also highlighted raccoons, penguins and monkeys as animals that would be interesting for the public to watch, M24.ru reported.
The locals aren't the only ones set to benefit from the webcams at the Moscow Zoo.
"This project will be popular in the regions where there are none of these facilities, and people will be delighted to watch the animals," Korobkov-Zemlyansky was quoted as saying by M24.ru.
Renovations at the Moscow Zoo began in May ahead of celebrations marking its 150th anniversary, and are expected to be completed by 2016.
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