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Two puppies gazed at sharks and manta rays at Georgia Aquarium after it closed for humans because of Covid-19

While closed to the public because of coronavirus restrictions, two adorable puppies roamed free at the aquarium

Lockdowns, social distancing and quarantines have caused cities to become ghost towns. The COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected more than 120,000 and killed more than 2,200 in the United States, is something the administration is struggling hard to fight. But once in a while, amid all the apocalyptic chaos, the lack of human beings in public places is not so bad. Take, for example, the Georgia Aquarium. While closed to the public because of coronavirus restrictions, two adorable puppies roamed free at the aquarium.

On March 26, the official Twitter account of the Atlanta Humane Society tweeted: “Our puppies just had the best. day. ever. They got to explore the @Georgia Aquarium while it is closed to the public. They made all sorts of exciting discoveries and lots of new friends!”

A heartwarming video accompanying the tweet shows Carmel and Odie scampering around in the aquarium's underwater tunnel and exploring the Ocean Voyager gallery. The pups, who are siblings, are about eight weeks old, are a sort of terrier mix, said the Atlanta Humane Society’s Christina Hill to CNN. “They are very cute and scruffy, aren't they?” she said.

While the puppies really seemed to enjoy the huge underground space, they didn't seem too interested in the whale sharks, black bar soldierfish, rays, bow mouth guitarfish or the other species swimming around in the 6.3 million gallon habitat. Even the fish in the video, for the most part, reciprocated this disinterest, as they swam along. One fish did exhibit some fleeting curiosity though.

CNN reported that Carmel and Odie are living with a foster family right now and are not yet available for adoption. And given the coronavirus restrictions at this point, even the Atlanta Humane Society, which has about 200 animals in foster homes, is only doing limited adoptions at the moment. Hill said, however, that there has been a fair amount of interest in adopting Carmel and Odie and that they would be looking for a “forever home” once the Atlanta Humane Society reopens to the public.

A Georgia Aquarium spokesperson, speaking to Insider, said: “We at Georgia Aquarium want to bring joy to peoples' day, especially during this time. And what better way than puppies? The team at Atlanta Humane Society was excited to help us with this to showcase the aquarium and the great work Atlanta Humane Society does.”

As people are cooped up in homes, animal videos seem to have been helping them cope with cabin fever. Last week, it was the penguins. The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois, which recently decided to close its doors to people, has given free rein to the penguins. The penguins have been free to wander the aquarium over the last few days, checking out everything from dolphins to stingrays. 

"While Chicago's Shedd Aquarium may be closed to the public, animal care staff and veterinarians are onsite 24/7," a spokesperson told Insider. "Without guests in the building, caretakers are getting creative in how they provide enrichment to animals — introducing new experiences, activities, foods, and more to keep them active, encourage them to explore, problem-solve, and express natural behaviors."