Many summertime traditions are being done differently this year because of COVID-19, including summer camps.

St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison holds its Critter Camp every summer so children can learn all about animals and animal welfare. This year, the camp is being held online through Zoom calls.

“We didn’t want to lose touch with our participants and our kids, so we decided to do a virtual program,” says Karen Potocek, one of the camp’s organizers.

The virtual Critter Camp includes two Zoom sessions a day. Different aged kids join each week and the staff and animal guests rotate. This week, third and fourth graders learned about mice on Monday and other wildlife on Wednesday. Thursday’s sessions were about cats.

“Each day we try to teach a different topic in animal welfare and the theme for this week is just to instill respect and love for all animals,” Potocek says.

The campers are just getting to know the animals at the shelter, they are also getting to know why the work done at St. Hubert’s is important.

“One of the things the kids learn about throughout the week is what we do at St. Hubert’s, and what the individual staff members do,” says Potocek.

She says that the overall goal for St. Hubert’s is to get forever homes for the animals.

There are a few more weeks of Critter Camp for the older kids later this summer. Dates and additional information can be found on the St. Hubert's website.