From red pandas to tortoises to spider monkeys, zoo director Dr. Cynthia Stringfield walked through how they keep animals cool as temperatures rise.
“A big part is giving them options. If we have air conditioned back areas, they may be allowed to go in their back area. We might do ice, we might do fruit treats, we might do misters so they can have a choice to get under the water. Some of our big tortoises like being sprayed with a hose,” Stringfield said.
Stringfield says that for some animals like red pandas, who are native to the snowy Himalayas, air conditioning is an option.
"On a hot day like today, we would definitely open up those little doors and give them the option to go in if they need to," Stringfield said.
Just like people, every animal handles heat differently. Dr. Stringfield uses their red pandas as an example.
“Interestingly, out of the three animals we have, one is much more tolerant of the hot weather. She doesn't really seem to mind it as much as the other two. So just like people, everybody has their own tolerance level,” said Stringfield.
The animals also love a good frozen treat.
"The keepers will take their fruit and put it in a tray with water and then freeze it. So we end up with ice pops or ice treats so that they can lick the cold ice and chew on the ice to get to their fruit," Dr. Stringfield explains. "We can do that with all kinds of different species. You can put meat in that for carnivores.”
Lead keeper, Katie Muller, said, “Sometimes [the animals] will lay on the ice to cool off.”
There are plenty of animals who actually enjoy the heat, but for visitors hoping to see all zoo animals, Dr. Stringfield has one piece of advice: come early.
That's exactly what the Walter family did to beat the heat, "It gives us lots of time to walk around and all the animals are out.”
