1. Introduction
I’m going to start this by taking you back to the 10th August 2020. A Monday. A pretty average Monday, to be honest. I was mindlessly scrolling through Facebook for the umpteenth time when I came across a baby sea otter called Joey who was making it *very* clear that he was not in the mood for his jellyfish toy [Jelly]. And, unknowingly, completely winning me over. This was the day Joey officially took over my life for the foreseeable future.
I soon found out that Joey was being cared for by Ocean Wise Marine Mammal Rescue Centre (also known as MMRC) in Vancouver, Canada. On 3rd July 2020, he had been rescued as a 10-day-old pup in Kyuquot, British Columbia, after a member of the public had heard him “vocalising” [meeping] throughout the night. Sadly, a deceased adult female otter was found nearby, meaning Joey was an orphan. He was quickly flown to the rescue centre, where a team of brilliant vets and vet technicians started looking after him, especially since he was hypothermic and hypoglycaemic. Under the 24/7 care of MMRC, Joey started to thrive and become the wiggly little fella we all know and love.
That first video of Joey I watched may have won me over, but once I discovered that there was a 24/7 YouTube livestream of him in his nursery, I was officially sold. I can honestly say that not a day (or waking hour, really) has gone by since then that I have not watched Joey in his livestream. My days became Joey-filled, I researched sea otters until I ran out of pages on Google, and my YouTube feed suggested otter video after otter video.
Pretty quickly, I noticed something else. Watching Joey was making me feel significantly happier, and providing me with an almost fool-proof way of calming down and distracting myself if I was stressed or anxious. And, from reading the livestream chat and posts in the ‘Joey the Sea Otter Fans’ Facebook group, I realised that Joey was helping other people too. I was really excited.
For a long time, I’ve been passionate about the role that animals can play in improving people’s wellbeing. As an umbrella term, the way in which animals help people’s wellbeing can be described as ‘animal-assisted intervention’ or ‘animal-assisted activities’, and ‘animal-assisted therapy’ is used to describe more specific goal-oriented intervention with a qualified therapist. Whatever you call it, the core idea is that animals, simply by being themselves, can help a person with whatever challenge they’re facing.
Just like a therapy dog, it seemed to me that Joey, unknowingly, had become a therapy otter. However, I didn’t want to just speculate - I was curious to find out exactly what impacts Joey was having on people. So, with permission from Ocean Wise, I set out to do a bit of informal research and developed a survey all about Joey.
Truthfully, I had no idea what to expect when I started the survey. When I set out, I thought I’d do a couple of questions and ask whoever might be interested. It was going to be a small end of summer project. Once I’d released the survey, and noticed the response numbers ticking up and up and up, you can imagine my surprise. When I realised I had nearly 500 participants, I was overwhelmed! I ended up with so much data, and the final results make me so proud and excited.
In total, 487 people from 48 different countries participated in the research; approximately 50% were from the USA with 12.5% from Canada and 9.4% from the UK. The remaining 28% of participants were from a wide range of countries, from Brazil to Romania - showing just how vast Joey’s reach has been. 77% of participants watched the livestream multiple times a day, with just 1% having watched it on one occasion. The results on the viewing frequency of Joey’s YouTube videos were slightly more evenly distributed, with 31% watching them 2-3 times a week and 3% having watched them only on one occasion. 65% of participants had taken part in the YouTube live-chat, whilst 29% said they hadn’t taken part in any of the interactive platforms. When asked whether they had “adopted” Joey through the symbolic adoption program, 67% said they hadn’t, 29% had and 4% weren’t aware of the program.
2. Why did people watch Joey?
People started watching Joey for a range of reasons. Some already loved sea otters, or animals in general, and hanging out with Joey was therefore an inevitability. For others, it was pure curiosity and being drawn in by Joey’s innocence and undeniable cuteness. For example, one person said, “At first it was because I just found him adorable. Then I became really invested in watching him grow and in following his progress”. In other cases, Joey’s heart-breaking story of being an orphan pup and fighting to survive really moved people but made them feel protective of him, subsequently compelling them to want to follow his growth, watch him achieve new milestones and be a part of his journey. For instance, one person said, “I was astonished by his journey from a tiny and helpless baby to the energetic and mischievous pup he is now”. Another commented that “I felt bad he lost his mother, grateful he was rescued and being well cared for. I was hooked and wanted to learn about him while watching him grow”.
Many of the people watching the livestream soon developed an attachment to Joey, and felt strongly connected to him. It didn’t take long for people to fall in love with his personality and antics, such as wiggling and playing with towels, as well as his different likes and dislikes – one person said, “I love seeing him grow, develop and change as the days go by, he has so much character and personality. Watching him makes me happy”. For some, this attachment to Joey also came with feelings of responsibility and emotional investment, leading them to feel driven to donate through the symbolic adoption program and “adopt” Joey. Alongside this, another theme throughout the results was a feeling of pride at his accomplishments. People felt immensely proud of Joey whenever he learned new skills, reached new milestones and developed his personality. One person said, “Sometimes I'm almost in tears while watching him because I am so proud he managed to survive and is now growing every day into a lovely adult otter”. Joey also enabled people to play an active role in a good cause, allowing them to feel they could make a difference to not only Joey, but other rescued animals too.
3. Hope
Now I want to tell you about one result that I’m really passionate about: Hope. This past year has been incredibly difficult for almost every single person around the world. You all know what I’m talking about. And what’s clear from the results of the survey is that people have lost hope this year, or have struggled to find it. But what’s clearer is that Joey has allowed people to hope again. Hope for a better future. It’s like that otter radiates hope and is just throwing it about the place (his hope has got some serious airmiles). For instance, one person commented “I find it helpful to have a reminder that there are still wonderful things in the world when it otherwise seems pretty bleak” and another remarked that “Joey is a bright light in the darkness”. And the thing is, whatever its form or direction, hope is a monumentally good thing. We need hope to keep going and to make things better, even when it seems completely impossible. Without it, we won’t move forward. So, in a sense, Joey is keeping us moving forward. If you want further evidence that hope is a beneficial thing, research has even suggested that hope can inspire support for social change (Greenaway et al., 2014).
Similarly, one major theme was faith in humanity. This was acknowledged in so many ways, and included the person who found Joey and alerted MMRC, the vet team at MMRC nursing him back to health, the caregivers looking after him 24/7 in his first few months, and the worldwide community cheering him on. For example, one person said that “He made me remember how amazing this world is. His story and his growing up progress made me feel hope with humanity. The volunteers and staff that care for him are wonderful people and made me realize how the world isn’t so bad at times.” It’s clear that watching Joey be so well cared for and loved has highlighted the kindness in the world, and that’s something in itself.
4. Improved wellbeing
Joey is the perfect example of the saying “small but mighty”. For such a tiny bundle of fluff, Joey has had a profound impact on people’s wellbeing and quality of life. These results have shown that he has not only enabled people to feel happier and more positive overall, but made people feel kinder and more loving, more patient and charitable, and more uplifted and joyful. One person said that for them “watching Joey prompts positive feelings -- not just a break from stress, but more proactively good feelings” and another said, “I forgive people more easily”. Furthermore, these types of comments describing the positive ways in which Joey made people feel and behave weren’t rare – there were literally hundreds. One small otter has made hundreds of people happier, and that’s no mean feat.
What’s even more impressive – and exciting – is the way that Joey helped people with their mental health. Mental health problems can be incredibly hard to deal with, and make everything that little bit harder or more complicated. Since the impact that mental health problems have on people’s daily lives can be so immense, lots of research has gone into finding treatments and ways of helping people cope such as medication and different types of therapy e.g. cognitive behavioural therapy. As I mentioned before, another form of therapy that is gaining traction is animal-assisted therapy. The ways in which this is used varies, but as far as I know, it always involves in-person interaction with the animal. This is where Joey and the effects that he’s had becomes so ground-breaking – at least in my opinion. Everyone watching the livestream who has formed a connection with and benefitted from Joey has never met him in person and has therefore not been able to form a truly reciprocal relationship with him. Yet, he’s been able to have powerful effects on improving people’s mental health and become a coping strategy in and of himself. In this research alone, people wrote about how Joey helped them with struggles with anxiety, depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), eating disorders and emotional challenges such as anger and putting up walls.
Several people mentioned that watching Joey has either prevented or helped stop anxiety and panic attacks. One person even said, “He has helped me during some very stressful moments and at one point, stopped an anxiety attack, dead in its tracks”. Another said, “Anytime I'm close to a panic attack or episode I just turn on his live stream. I'm able to calm myself down, focus, and ground myself”. Panic attacks can be terrifying and debilitating for people who experience them and for many people, finding effective ways of preventing or stopping panic attacks is incredibly challenging. The idea that watching Joey online has successfully helped people with this and formed part of their coping strategies is absolutely remarkable.
In addition to anxiety, many people wrote about how Joey had helped them cope with depression, with one person saying “When I am feeling down, I check on Joey and happiness comes in a second. I've many times cried of happiness while looking at him after feeling very depressed for a while. When life gets too hard, I remember Joey exists and things are good again”. If that isn’t incredible, I don’t know what is. I can’t stress how important it is having something that keeps you going when the hard, low days come, and for a little otter who is hundreds of miles away to most of the people he’s helping to be that something is pretty amazing.
People struggling with PTSD also expressed that watching Joey has helped them, with one person saying “I've been struggling with PTSD and major depression the past year, and Joey's rescue story really got to me emotionally. To know that he stayed strong and survived on his own for possibly more than 24 hours is incredible”. For many, PTSD can be incredibly devastating and have huge impacts on their lives, suffering from flashbacks and dealing with the interaction between trauma and day-to-day functioning. The point is – anything that can help ameliorate some of these symptoms is worth celebrating. And for some, that thing has been Joey.
Joey hasn’t just helped people with anxiety, depression and PTSD – he’s also helped with people who have challenging relationships with food and eating disorders. For example, one person said, “As a teenager with a bad relationship with food, watching Joey grow bigger and gain weight in the process helped me realize that gaining weight is a normal part of growing for humans too”. This is particularly poignant, as it can be incredibly difficult for people who are coping with problems related to food to adjust their perceptions and feelings towards food. I’m inspired by this example of how Joey has helped this person to shift their cognition surrounding food, and feel that it could potentially be a very exciting avenue of new research into ways of helping people struggling with similar challenges.
Another aspect of life that Joey made a difference to was people’s mood. Numerous people wrote about how watching Joey allowed them to set the mood or tone for the day positively, and end it positively too. For many, checking in on Joey was the first thing they did after waking up and the last thing they did before they went to sleep. He made people feel so inherently good that it became a part of their daily routines, and also relied on watching him to make them feel better and more positive if they were in a bad mood. One person said that “The live stream has become part of my daily life because I can't get enough of Joey, he sets the mood in morning and helps me end the day on a positive note”, and similarly another person said, “My day starts off on the right foot/flipper after watching Joey for a few moments before work”. The importance of both setting the day off positively and going to sleep in a good mood is not to be underestimated. And similarly, neither is smiling and laughing – another theme throughout the research. People repeatedly wrote about how much Joey made them smile or laugh, and how entertaining he was. One person said “I think he's made my days a bit brighter overall. I check in on him throughout the day, and he always brings a smile to my face”. It would be easy to take for granted the fact that Joey made people smile or laugh, but that would be to underestimate the power that smiling and laughing can have. For example, some research has suggested that positive emotion impacts an upward spiral of emotional wellbeing (Fredrickson and Joiner, 2002).
If there’s one thing that the past year has been full of, it’s uncertainty. Nearly every single aspect of our lives has been vulnerable to sudden change – from work and school to good health and seeing family and friends. Several people talked about their experiences of going through significant life changes. The effect that uncertainty and ambiguity can have shouldn’t be taken lightly – it can be extremely unsettling and have a real impact on how we feel able to tackle each day. So, there’s one recurring theme within the results I want to highlight. One of the things that kept being mentioned was the idea of being able to rely on Joey always being there – whether that was for company in the middle of the night, for setting the mood at the start of the day or for providing necessary distraction and relief from stress or anxiety. Joey became a point of constancy for people. Always there, wiggling away, giving people something they could rely on to make them feel happy. I don’t know how much better it gets than that. Even if Joey was off-camera having swims in a bigger tub, there would be people to chat to – without fail. He was something that, when the world or life was bringing you down, you could hold onto and know would be good. For example, one person said “It gives me something to be excited about when I get up in the morning, something to champion, and a positive distraction when I'm down. He seems like one of the few reliably good things in the world that I can hold onto right now” and another wrote how “During these times, so much is uncertain and not promised, but Joey is always there, and that never changes”. I’m not sure I could put it better myself.
Possibly one of the most prominent themes throughout this research was the idea of escapism. There’s no denying the fact that the past year has been unimaginably tough, and in our day-to-day lives there’s very little respite from it. It’s been all-encompassing, and not in a good way. However, people have found their escape in Joey – he’s been a welcome break from all the hard things going on in both the world and in people’s personal lives. He’s made the hard times a little easier, and as one person put it – he’s “uncomplicated”. Many people wrote about how he made them feel calmer and more peaceful, and gave them relief from stress. For instance, one person commented, “he has been a comfort in these troubled times” and another said, “I think he also allows me to shift my focus from my own health concerns to how he is doing. And let's be honest, he is doing great”. Escapism comes in all sorts of forms for different people, whether it be watching TV programmes or going for a run (although if you see me running, something’s wrong) – and for me and countless others, it’s watching Joey.
5. Connection with Others
The past year has brought a multitude of challenges, but one that has popped up over the news and social media frequently has been the difficulties people have had being connected with other people – from missing seeing close friends and family to meeting new people and making new friends. One of the biggest themes throughout my research was this idea of a connection with other people. For some people, Joey and his livestream allowed people to bond with their family and friends more by being a neutral or positive topic to discuss and enjoy together; for example, one person said that “Joey is now a part of my family, as I've shared him with my parents and siblings. It's just the best thing to see them commenting on the timeline while we're all on the phone together laughing at his antics”. The idea that Joey has brought family and friends together, especially during such a difficult period and when people need it most, is just heart-warming.
The issue of isolation has never been more highlighted than in the past year, with so many people who live alone or who are clinically vulnerable unable to spend any time with family or friends. These experiences of isolation were represented in this research, with people reporting that Joey provided companionship in many different forms - whether that be Joey himself, the community or the caregivers. Several people said they felt less alone while they watched Joey, and some mentioned that it enabled them to feel as though they had a pet, without the responsibility. As the livestream was on 24/7, it also meant that people who were feeling particularly lonely at night or unable to sleep could rely on Joey being there to keep them company and reduce feelings of isolation. Poignantly, one person commented that “I used to lie awake all night feeling alone because everyone was asleep and I was the only one awake in pain. It was a isolating feeling. Now when I’m awake, I watch Joey and watching him until he falls asleep helps my mind peacefully drift away until I fall asleep.” If I’m being honest, I can’t quite find the words for how moved I was by this comment, and therefore how passionate and excited I am about the fact that Joey has been able to help people with isolation in such significant ways.
These days, it feels like the news is just plastered with stories of people arguing and fighting with one another or being pitted against each other. The world feels more and more divided as the years go on, and it’s a particularly unpleasant feeling. Enter: Joey! A tiny otter as a uniting force, bringing together people from across the world, all with different backgrounds, ages, interests – different lives. At the heart of it, everyone had one common interest – whether that be Joey himself, sea otters or conservation in general. Joey enabled people from all walks of life to have positive communication with each other, not talking about what could divide them, but instead talking about and enjoying what unites them – a ball of fluff. In my research, this is something that people seemed to really place a lot of value on – the fact that Joey provided a way for people to be united and have shared compassion for something. One person said that “Joey showed me we really can care about the same thing and unite to make a difference”, and another felt that “It's so simple yet I feel it's profound because he is just delighting so many of us, and so we are connected through a lovely, sweet feeling that he brings to the world. It's really nice to have a place to go where people are united in love.” I think there is a real yearning to be united, even if we’re somehow often going the other way, and the fact that Joey – a ball of fluff, no less – is helping us do that, is pretty amazing.
6. Community
The internet is one of those funny things – it can be brilliant and foster positivity and support, or it can be a really negative, harmful environment. I’m sure I’m not the only one to have experienced feeling slightly swarmed by negativity whilst online, and it really can drag you down. And that’s where Joey and his livestream comes in: providing a positive, safe online space for anyone and everyone to enjoy. Whilst this was something I had experienced and felt myself, it was overwhelmingly clear from the results that this aspect of the experience of watching Joey was highly valued by other viewers/members of the community too. With the chat spaces being highly moderated and held to clear community rules such as not allowing off-topic discussion, members of the community felt that most of the time it kept the chat “a wholesome place”. In the spirit of transparency and balanced reporting of results, some people did feel that there was over-moderation at times, such as some comments being deleted unnecessarily. However, on the whole, people were happy with the moderation and felt that the moderators (mods) were excellent at keeping the chat a positive and safe place.
The moderators were consistently mentioned when people were asked about their experience with the community, with their comments making it clear that the role they played was not simply one of rule-keeping but one that contributed to the overall sense of community. The majority of people had overwhelmingly positive views of the mods, also known as “motterators”, and there was a real sense of how instrumental they were in keeping the chat positive and kind. Many observed that they were extremely helpful and patient; answering questions quickly, informatively and kindly, whilst also removing trolls or negative comments. One person commented “I love the effort the moderators give to answer everyone's questions” and another appreciated how “in-control of things mods are”. There were one or two comments from people who had observed some rudeness or unkindness from moderators, but the majority of comments regarding the mods were very positive. Overall, it is clear to see how much people appreciated and valued the “motterators” as much-loved members of the community.
It would be easy to simply view the ‘community’ as just a group of people who watch Joey, but it’s infinitely more than that. This is how I felt already, but the results demonstrate it even further. When I asked if they felt part of a community whilst watching Joey, an astounding 91% of people said yes. People described the community as kind, respectful, inclusive, welcoming, supportive, non-judgemental, positive, uplifting, engaging, funny – and those were just some of the words used. The community also allowed people to have a shared experience of watching Joey by spending time with others who felt the same way and had the same reactions to things happening in his world. People mentioned that everyone will say good morning and goodnight to each other, and lift someone up if they’re having a bad day. For example, one person talked about one of their experiences of being supported by the community and wrote “when I said I was having a hard time finishing my school assignment they cheered me on”, which shows just how kind of a community it is. Furthermore, whilst participation in chat was welcomed, several people shared that they didn’t feel a pressure to participate yet were able to enjoy reading the chat and still feel a member of the community. With everyone able to join in and return to the chat however often they liked, people really enjoyed seeing familiar names and interacting with regular users, fostering that feeling of community and a bond with other people. One person said, “You all have become like extended family to me”, and another commented, “I know regular wigglers by name now and I have no idea who is from where, but that makes me realise the beauty of how a little baby otter and the love for him can make the world such a beautiful place”. In case you were wondering, ‘wigglers’ is the name affectionately given to members of the community! That brings me to one of my favourite parts of this community, and something that was consistently mentioned in the results - the fun and banter that forms a key aspect of the community experience. People talked about how much they enjoyed the fun atmosphere and jokes such as nicknames for Joey (Sir Wigglesworth!), jokes about his wiggling and meeping (vocalisations), the amusement of naming things in Joey’s world such as his toys (like his turtle pool, fondly named Sheldon), his nursery and even the fans that were keeping him cool (“RIP Carl…”), and joking about him battling the ‘evil towels’.
Another one of the amazing outcomes is how Joey has provided a creative outlet for so many people. He has inspired people to make art in all of its forms, and the community celebrates every single person for it. For example, one person said “I found a section for fan art and I introduced myself and mentioned that I had some Joey inspired stuff too. Within an hour or so I had people encouraging me to post my pictures”. I believe art is an incredibly powerful tool, and whilst it can be incredibly thought-provoking or awe-inspiring to the general public, it also has benefits for the artists themselves, such as psychological resilience (Bolwerk et al., 2014). To give you an idea of the amazing art that people have been inspired to create, here is just a handful of some of the artwork found in the fan-art channel on Discord:
On a different note, I feel it is important to point out that as well as the positive characteristics of the community, there were aspects of the chat experience that some participants found to be negative or that detracted from an overall positive community experience. Some felt that the chat and other viewers could be immature or rude, with a few occasionally feeling ignored if not replied to. Others weren’t keen on anthropomorphism in chat and felt that some viewers had excessive concern for Joey and were not observing proper chat etiquette. However, the majority of participants did feel predominantly positive about the community and chat.
7. Changes in Conservation Understanding and Interest
In addition to the ways in which Joey affected people’s personal lives, he also became an ambassador for the sea otter species and managed to educate hundreds of people about conservation issues for both sea otters and other marine mammals. When I asked whether participants’ understanding about sea otters and marine mammal conservation had changed having watched Joey, 86% said yes. Hundreds talked about how their understanding of sea otters had improved, writing about how they had learned more about their fur and its crucial role in keeping them alive, their vital role in the ecosystem as a keystone species, their unique abilities such as tool use, the concept of rafting (where they hold paws to prevent them from floating away!), their diet, their life expectancy…the list goes on. It inspired people to do independent research on sea otters and their history, such as the fur trade – one person even said, “My child is also using otters for her classroom assignment on keystone species”. Some people also developed their understanding through listening to the ‘Ask Me Anything’ sessions (AMA) held with some of Joey’s caregivers, and through learning from information in the live-chat or from other members of the community.
Alongside learning more about sea otters themselves, many people’s understanding of conservation issues involving sea otters also improved, such as their endangered species status, their importance within the marine ecosystem as a keystone species, the fur trade history, and issues affecting them in the wild like oil spills and toxins. For example, one person said, “I didn’t realize the importance of sea otters in the kelps forest ecosystem too. Joey has made me greatly interested in finding out more on the impact of sea otters to us”. As demonstrated by this person’s comment, many people also became much more invested in understanding sea otter conservation and finding ways to help – however, for some, this interest in in sea otter conservation also expanded to include broader marine mammal and ocean conservation issues including ecosystem interdependence and the effects of plastic pollution. For example, one person remarked, “It made me be more aware of my environment and started to do something like ‘less plastic straw and more stainless straw’ or ‘less plastic bag and more reuseable bag’ and plant lots of plants even only in small yard”, and another made a particularly moving statement: “He makes me want to do everything in my power to save our planet”.
In addition to a greater depth of understanding of and interest in conservation issues, many people also wrote about how Joey had helped them to have a better understanding of the extensive support needed for rescued animals – particularly orphaned ones. By being able to witness the 24/7 care Joey received, people began to recognise the skills, time and dedication needed simply to keep a small, orphaned pup alive and healthy. They also learned about the requirements for release of a rescued animal and the survival skills needed, particularly for such a young sea otter pup. One person commented, “I am a lot more aware of some of the elements of otter care. For example, before the live stream I was aware that otters had dense fur but was not aware that the requirements for its grooming were so large. I feel like watching this live stream has allowed me to learn things that I would not have known otherwise”. This overall depth of understanding subsequently came with a newfound appreciation for MMRC and the work they do for marine mammals in need, as well as a broader awareness of the importance of facilities that take in and provide for rescued animals. For example, one person wrote that “my view has also changed a lot on animal centers and conservation: I did not know it was nearly impossible to teach such a small animal how to survive in the wild, and that they could not be released after being taken care of. I understand so much better now how there is a true need for these places for rescuing animals, treating and healing them, and then offering them a comfortable place to live for the rest of their lives”. Furthermore, a number of people wrote of how they intended to support Vancouver Aquarium in the future. There was also a clear theme of how much people appreciated all of the staff and volunteers involved in Joey’s care (and the other rescues at MMRC), with one person saying “Now I know more how the life of a sea otter actually is and how much hard work is needed to the rescue center to take care of them. Everyone who works with this kind of care is a hero and I am thankful they exist”. Some people even wrote about how they were considering a change of career, such as one person who said, “watching Joey has impacted me so much so that I am now highly considering doing this line of work”.
This livestream provided an entirely unique opportunity for people around the world to witness the growth of a tiny ball of fluff, also known as a sea otter pup called Joey. Whilst documentaries over the years may have been able to show a sea otter’s growth to a degree, the depth and breadth of education that this livestream of Joey from a pup to a now 1-year-old sea otter has provided to hundreds, if not thousands, of people is staggering. In my opinion, Joey and the reach of his livestream has completely changed the game for educating people about conservation and the value people place on facilities such as MMRC and Vancouver Aquarium.
8. Final words
If I’m being completely honest, I don’t know how to end this except to say how grateful I am to Joey. He completely changed my life from the day I first came across him back on that Monday in August last year, and as you can see, he’s changed the lives of hundreds of other people in ways one simply couldn’t imagine. From helping people’s mental health and making everyone’s days brighter, to providing a creative outlet and changing the way people think about conservation. He’s one of a kind, and today, on his first birthday, I’m saying thank you, Joey. For giving us all something we didn’t know we needed.
You can find Joey's livestream here: https://www.twitch.tv/marinemammalrescue or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxYribbndTM
And here is the video of Joey that won me over!
Disclaimers
All quotes included in this article have been used with participants’ permission – prior to the beginning of the survey itself, I asked participants to confirm if they did or did not give permission for their quotes, in full or in part, to be used in the article.
At the time of obtaining permission to conduct this research and write this article, Ocean Wise owned Vancouver Aquarium and the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre. Part of the terms agreed included calling the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre “Ocean Wise Marine Mammal Rescue Centre”. However, for clarity and transparency, it is no longer owned by Ocean Wise.
I am not affiliated with or employed by the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre, Vancouver Aquarium, Ocean Wise Conservation Association (or any of their subsidiaries, associates or affiliates) or Herschend Enterprises.
Please get in touch with me at inbetweensleepingblog@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Photo Credits
The photo of Joey included in this article were taken by Marcus Wernicke, and used with permission.
Artist Credits
All fan-art included in this article was used with permission from the artists, who I have listed here with links to their work and social medias:
- awkwardtrashlet:
- Freeky:
- oblohsart:
- Opal Elf:
- Randomu:
- Thirdpotato
- TinyTuber/KureijiEimei:
- udyonts:
- Uno:
References/links used to write the article
Bolwerk, A., Mack-Andrick, J., Lang, F., Dörfler, A. and Maihöfner, C., 2014. How Art Changes Your Brain: Differential Effects of Visual Art Production and Cognitive Art Evaluation on Functional Brain Connectivity. PLoS ONE, 9(7), p.e101035.
Fredrickson, B. and Joiner, T., 2002. Positive Emotions Trigger Upward Spirals Toward Emotional Well-Being. Psychological Science, 13(2), pp.172-175.
Greenaway, K., Cichocka, A., van Veelen, R., Likki, T. and Branscombe, N., 2014. Feeling Hopeful Inspires Support for Social Change. Political Psychology, 37(1), pp.89-107.
I have thoroughly enjoyed your report on Joey and how he has helped thousands through the last year! The live stream has helped me to laugh out loud on a regular basis and feel a part of an amazing, kind and positive community! But I feel I must say that none of this would have happened if not for the thousands of volunteer hours and computer programming excellence from a small group of people who put their own lives on hold to bring us the innovative 24/7 livestream of Joey and his carers from MMRC and VANAQUA! Thank you for your uplifting and informative study on the effects of our Joeybean on the world...it has brightened my day! Wishing …
I remember when you asked us to take the survey. I had forgotten all about it. Excellent article, thanks for posting it.❤️