SUAMICO, WI (WTAQ) – Most people have heard the tips to not leave their pets in a hot vehicle or let them walk on hot pavement for too long, but what if the animal you’re responsible for is a bit more sensitive to the heat?
“We have quite a few animals around here who are fairly northern in their native habitat,” said NEW Zoo Animal Curator Carmen Murach. “Our snowy owls, our snow leopards, Japanese snow monkeys – they all like snow. So hot weather can be a little stressful for some of them.”
But the zoo has developed plenty of tricks to keep those animals comfortable in the hot summer months.
“We have a lot of fans set up, the zookeepers distribute ice blocks to some of the animals, we’ve got sprinklers going all over the place,” Murach explained. “A lot of the exhibits have pools are fountains built into them in the animals who are are real heat sensitive have air conditioning…the larger animals always have access to their buildings, which are, depending on the time of year, heated or cooled…Sometimes a little lazy on the the really warm days, may not be running around quite as much in the hottest part of the day.”
Certain exhibits are also situated in specific spots around the property to maximize the use of natural surroundings like trees and breezeways. The snow leopard exhibit, for example, gets plenty of air blowing through to help keep them cool.
As for helping those coming in to visit the animals on a hot day, the zoo has some simple adjustments for that as well.
“[Keepers are known for] extending the range of the sprinkler so it maybe hits the bears exhibit, and then a little bit of pavement for any people who would like to get a little bit of that cool, wet breeze themselves,” Murach told WTAQ News.
The zoo’s restaurant and concessions also tend to sell a lot of ice cream and snowcones on hotter days.
For more information about the NEW Zoo, head to their website.
WTAQ News was out at the zoo last year as they reopened after a brief COVID-19 related closure:
Comments