surprising bridget coglin, shedd's president and ceo. >> i was getting emails from people i hadn't heardhey said, we saw your penguins. >> exactly. not only did they say i saw your penguins but there was this sense of peace and gratitude that came across, thank you, i needed this. i needed this mental recess. >> you know how so many of us are being asked to stay in? in chicago it means they could let the penguins out. >> reporter: they became a sensation. and wellington here, a star. whether enjoying the fish or seeing eye to eye with a beluga. their popularity exploded just as the country shut down. not a coincidence, says coglin. >> the pandemic for everyone has been omnipresent. yet for one minute, you look nature in the eye, whether it be a shark or a penguin or rescued sea otter, the pandemic fades away. >> all right. there is georgia -- >> reporter: the animal caregiver says the walks are nothing new. >> gives them great physical exercise. mental stimulation. >> reporter: the field trips went offsite to help publicize the field museum where the penguins marveled at sue the t-rex, s