Denver Zoo Animals Prepare For Winter Storm
DENVER (CBS4)- Zookeepers are helping the wild animals at the Denver Zoo prepare for the winter storm set to strike this weekend.
While some animals are equipped to handle the cold and snow, like polar bears, others get some help from zookeepers.
During cooler weather in the winter, zookeepers give the cheetahs hay which they can burrow in and keep warm. Other animals like lions, spotted hyenas and African wild dogs get fake, electric-heated rocks to keep warm if they want to venture outside.
However, during below-freezing conditions and heavy snowfall, most animals are kept in their indoor enclosures for their safety.
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The diet given to the sea lions is doubled in the fall months to build up their layer of blubber to keep warm while swimming.
The polar bears will be allowed to go outside and swim in the cold water pools since the freezing temperatures more closely resemble that of their natural habitat.
LINK: denverzoo.org