Millions of Americans are under heat alerts but what about zoo animals? In Phoenix, where they’ve endured 21 consecutive days of temperatures at 110 F or higher, zookeepers are scrambling to keep their charges from overheating.
They’re spraying the bigger animals with hoses, misting cages and giving the carnivores blood-sicles, which are just what you think. Drew Foster, the zoo’s director of living collections explained:
“Even when it is incredibly hot, the staff still has to be here to take care of animals.Instead of closing the zoo, we give animals access to climate-controlled areas and give them the care they need.”
While horned rhinos, elephants and tortoises love water showers, many of the big cats prefer a gentle misting. The sea lions prefer cold gelatin and ice and they provide apes, monkeys and gorillas with climate-controlled rooms and shower pools.
And zookeepers carefully monitor animals for signs of heat stress, such as panting.
With climate change creating a much hotter future, zoos are having to adapt quickly.