We all have our techniques.
Fans. Air conditioning. Feet in buckets of cold water. Ice packs. Ice cream. A dunk in a pool or lake.
Anything to keep our cool during what seems like unrelenting summer heat wave.
Well, zookeepers have their own fair share of tricks to help prevent their animals from overheating.
“With the warm temperatures this weekend, our animal care teams provide our animals with plenty of enrichment to beat the heat – including popsicles, sprinklers, and ice treats,” the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Washington state explained. “The animals also have plenty of shaded areas, fresh water, misters, and pools throughout their habitats.”
With the warm temperatures this weekend, our animal care teams provide our animals with plenty of enrichment to beat the heat – including popsicles, sprinklers, and ice treats. The animals also have plenty of shaded areas, fresh water, misters, and pools throughout their habitats pic.twitter.com/LauMdAflfV
— Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (@PtDefianceZoo) July 31, 2022
They also have lots and lots of ice.
But otter Libby just wants a tub of it moved a little.
Libby wanted to bring the entire tub of ice into the sea otter pool! 🦦🧊😂 #heatwave
— Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (@PtDefianceZoo) July 31, 2022
📷: Keeper Kelsie pic.twitter.com/v7kTKC7UKu
The otters in San Antonio are no different. They love their ice baths.
Bianca is cooling down with an ice bath! 🧊🧊🧊 pic.twitter.com/LXYyeC6RDQ
— San Antonio Zoological Society 🦏 (@SanAntonioZoo) July 24, 2022
And, it’s the same story at the Calgary Zoo.
What’s the best way to cool off on a hot day? Tubs of ice! 🧊 In case you’re trying to count, there are 5 North American river otters (Kate & her 4 pups) playfully jumping about. Playing together helps keep family bonds strong & can help the pups learn important survival skills. pic.twitter.com/sm671ONAcW
— Calgary Zoo (@calgaryzoo) July 24, 2022
Red pandas, Jacob and Marie, still have access to their climate controlled indoor environment to allow them to choose where they feel more comfortable. However, thanks to shade structures and cool enrichment there is a good chance you’ll still see them during your next zoo visit! pic.twitter.com/fN0h3AE9Hq
— Buttonwood Park Zoo (@BPZoo) July 29, 2022
Here’s how the tigers are keeping cool at the Minnesota Zoo.
When it’s hot out, zookeepers have cool solutions. As forms of enrichment, keepers utilize hoses, pools, and ice. ☀️ #MNZoo #TigerTuesday
— Minnesota Zoo (@mnzoo) July 26, 2022
🎥: Zookeeper Jess pic.twitter.com/SJ8Sts2PMd
The elephants also love a cool bath at the Dallas Zoo and beyond.
When the weather gets HOT, African Elephants know how to stay cool. They spray water or sling mud on their backs, go for a dip in the habitat pools, and flap their ears to fan themselves. Our team often helps them out with a spray from our large water cannon! pic.twitter.com/zRozt8l3p6
— Dallas Zoo (@DallasZoo) July 28, 2022
Everybody loves a dip in the pool on a hot day.
Hey, Strawberry! She now weighs over 565 pounds and is spending a lot of time in her pool and the shade. Strawberry also has misters and fans under her shelters to help keep her cool. Have you visited this sweet moose recently? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/gzxfn8qXBY
— Columbus Zoo (@ColumbusZoo) July 30, 2022
Or, a spritz at a spray park.
Check out this video Keeper Caitlin took of Joona and Tensing enjoying playtime with their hose and mud wallow, which helps keep them cool and comfortable in the summer. For guests, here are four tips to help you beat the heat during your visit: https://t.co/40mGVux34b pic.twitter.com/SzIEshqelh
— Denver Zoo (@DenverZoo) July 21, 2022
Make sure to keep cool and hydrated this weekend! ☀️💧🐻 pic.twitter.com/zfCsupv0Mg
— Zoo Boise (@ZooBoise) July 30, 2022
Cool treats are also popular.
Buttercup and her raspberry ice lick 🧊 💜 Thanks to animal keeper Lauren for this refreshing pic of one our most beautiful Grant’s gazelle! #heatwave pic.twitter.com/LiBzty1tR0
— Woodland Park Zoo (@woodlandparkzoo) July 27, 2022
Leafy browse frozen in ice makes for a fun treat, especially when your big sisters are playing with it. Watch for the Pablo cameos in these clips from the Tropical Forest at Franklin Park Zoo.#FPZoo #gorillas #enrichment #heatwave pic.twitter.com/T58vAptIkO
— Zoo New England (@zoonewengland) July 22, 2022
Animals in Tianjin Zoo, north China’s Tianjin municipality, are beating the summer heat by staying in air-conditioned rooms, licking ice, eating cooled fruits, and taking showers. (Photo/Zhang Li) pic.twitter.com/FNLo0H18DY
— Chinese Embassy in Switzerland (@ChinaEmbinCH) July 22, 2022
Enjoy a slice of summer 🍉☀️ LaRoo, the Matschie’s tree kangaroo, enjoys refreshing watermelon treats to help beat the summer heat. Stay cool and stay hydrated, friends! pic.twitter.com/QFlc2xa9q5
— Roger Williams Park Zoo (@RWPZoo) July 24, 2022
We interrupt this hot, sunny Friday afternoon to bring you zebra, Obi, enjoying a cool and refreshing pear, marionberry and blueberry frozen treat! Find a nice shady spot, stay cool and hydrated and be like Obi! #FridayVibe #Weekend #StayCool 😎🦓 pic.twitter.com/JJTgGUamcG
— Woodland Park Zoo (@woodlandparkzoo) July 29, 2022
Those all sound delicious, but maybe not the “blood & spices popsicle” offered at the Brookfield Zoo to its tigers — at least not for us humans, anyway.
Brutus was a big fan of the blood & spices popsicle he & Titus got recently, as any of us would be, really.
— Brookfield Zoo (@brookfield_zoo) August 29, 2020
Just like your cat, lions possess an olfactory organ on the roof of their mouth called the Jacobson’s organ, which helps them better detect moisture-borne odors. #Caturday pic.twitter.com/SlClhwJtRV
Cheers to keeping your cool during this extended heat wave casting over North America and Europe.
