CHENNAI: The tranquil blue water, the swiftly swimming marine species, rich aquatic fauna, and dimly lit pathways. With my eyes glued to the smart TV, I completed my trip to the world’s first virtual edutainment aquarium tour Through the Marine Kingdom’ by VGP Marine Kingdom — from the comfort of my couch at home. While the pandemic has emptied the streets, and public spaces are now deserted, museums, zoos and educational institutions are rising to the challenge.
You don’t have to stand in serpentine queues to book tickets, or worry about not having enough time. Like everything else in this lockdown, virtual tours are fast becoming the new normal. So, for 45 minutes, Louis the Blenny fish — an animated character — my tour guide had my complete attention as I took a deep d ive into this nove l experience. This one-of-a-kind tour is designed to give patrons a glimpse of the 250 species of fish in the aquarium, and the five different aquatic zones — Rainforest, Gorge, Mangrove, Coastal and Deep Ocean. Louis gently moved through each zone explaining the different types of fish in their natural habitat, their behaviours and food pattern.
For instance, the Blue Tang fish boasts a vibrant electric blue body dressed with bold black markings. The active fish loves to swim. Though mostly peaceful towards most tank mates, it will become agressive towards its own species. They love to feed on meat, algae and seaweed. Louis talks about every fish for a minute so that the information registers in our mind and it’s easy to process. She also zooms in to show us the features and movement of every species. To ensure the virtual audience had an engaging experience, there was a Q&A session in a poll format with four options on the page; the answer was revealed before the next question popped up.
Soon, there will be aquarists available on chat to clarify your doubts on anything related to aquatic life and marine species. More features will be added depending on the review. Located on the ECR, the VGP Marine Kingdom opened its door to the public in 2019. Spread over 70,000 sq mt, the ultra-modern aquarium with an underwater tunnel was touted as the first of its kind in India. Gradually it gained popularity and became the sought-after picnic spot for families. But with the coronavirus making Chennai as hotspot, the Marine Kingdom has shut its door for the past three months. However, we’re told that a dedicated team of aquarists headed by an expert has been maintaining the aquarium diligently. The team has also been reaching out to patrons and marine enthusiasts to adopt a small or big fish or the whole tank for a month.
The adoption rate depends on what you pick. You can also contribute to feeding of fish and facility expenses. The virtual tour was launched on Zoom on Monday. VGP Ravidas, managing director of VGP Marine Kingdom said, “We are all aware of the footfall the aquarium had when it was launched. In the last three months, we’ve all been home-bound due to the pandemic and public viewing has come to a standstill. In order to generate cash flow, maintain the fish and also to entertain our patrons, we had to come up with this option. We came up with a format only after doing in-depth research of other virtual tours of aquatic life in different parts of the world. This does not have a static panorama format or a first-personview video walking around the premises without any educational element.
It’s interactive and definitely an affordable respite from boredom.” The aquarium has a new section on its website to purchase tickets for the virtual tour. There are six shows per day. Each ticket is priced at `300. On purchase of the ticket, an agent from the aquarium will contact you to register the slot of your choice. Only one device will be allowed per ticket. The page will have a chat option to communicate with experts in case of any doubts. Their website has a set of instructions that can be accessed. After purchasing the ticket, the link is available for 48 hours for you to go back and watch the tour once again. “Institutions and corporates have shown interest in booking bulk tickets to provide a virtual outing for their employees, and we are also considering it as a CSR activity to support the upkeep of our marine friends by purchasing the tickets and adopting them as well,” says Ravidas.
For details, visit: vgpmarinekingdom.in