Brookfield Zoo Prepares Animals For Cold
(CBS) -- Brookfield Zoo's three resident polar bears, six bison and two snow leopards are used to this kind of weather but Spokesman Bill Zeigler says they make sure the animals have indoor and outdoor access during severe cold.
"They actually like this kind of weather but we keep their indoor shelters open and we keep a close eye on them as the mercury takes a dive," said Zeigler.
Zeigler says, starting in August, they start fattening up their Bears to better insulate them for the winter.
"Starting in late august, we really beef them up and that builds that layer of fat and blubber that they would normally do if they were in the wild to deal with these kind of temperatures."
Typically polar bears, sea lions and snow leopards inhabit environments that are always this cold. Average winter temperatures in the arctic circle can be as frigid as 40 below, which is what wind chills are expected to be in Chicago. Last year, Lincoln Park Zoo officials brought in their only polar bear because it was that cold.