This week London Zoo live streamed video of its animals to cheer everyone up on Blue Monday, and lots of charities got really into #PenguinAwarenessDay.

ZSL London Zoo cheers everyone up on #BlueMonday

Staff at ZSL London Zoo tried to help the internet get over the gloominess of Blue Monday – the title given to the third Monday in January, said to be the “most depressing day of the year” – by sharing live video of its animals on Periscope.

#BlueMonday might be slightly iffy on the science front, but that doesn’t stop everyone on Twitter from talking about it – and all online conversations can be improved by the addition of penguins (and otters, meerkats, giraffes and tigers - but it's the penguins who really provided a p-p-pick up).

The charity timed the launch for lunchtime, when it’s acceptable to be looking at videos of animals and not spreadsheets, and involved its audience on Twitter by asking for suggestions of which animals to feature next.

Unfortunately the videos have now expired, but we’re hoping this can become a regular Monday lunchtime treat.

Charities and #Penguinawarenessday

Sticking with the penguin theme, Wednesday was #PenguinAwarenessDay, and we were delighted to see so many charities getting involved. Here are some of the best examples:

ActionAid UK
The international aid charity took the opportunity to raise awareness of its campaign to get companies to pay tax with this adorable gif.

 

WWF-UK
Wildlife charity WWF-UK took the opportunity to suggest that people adopt a penguin.

Scout Association
The Scouts tweeted a link to penguin themed sleeping bag, now on sale on its online store. It must have worked as the item is now out of stock.

British Museum
The museum shared some pictures of penguins that feature in its collection.

 

Dogs Trust
The Dogs Trust get the award for ‘most tenuous link’ by sharing pictures of dogs with similar colouring to penguins on its blog.
   
Don’t worry if you missed it. World Penguin Day is coming up on 25 April.