Animals staying cool at Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium during extreme heat
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - People aren't the only ones who are feeling the heat today. Animals both big and small are also dealing with these hot temperatures and that includes all the creatures at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium.
From zebras to donkeys, to alpacas and lions, it seemed like every animal on this warm summer day, was looking to stay cool at the zoo.
The Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium cares for thousands of animals including their many species of fish, and for the animals that typically roam in their outdoor habitats, the zoo takes special caution on days went the temperatures are pushing into the 90s.
Alex Cauley, the public relations and media manager at the zoo says, that some animals do really well in heat, but others, much like some people, like to hang out indoors, in the air conditioning.
"We have different animals from all different climates," says Cauley. "Some of them love it and some not so much. For those animals that aren't indigenous to a hot or warm climate, sometimes that does mean, we take them off exhibit and they do go into off-exhibit holding, in which there is an air-conditioned and controlled climate. Other animals, they love it. They bask in the sun and we let them have at it."
So, animals like polar bears and red pandas from cooler climates, so they were not out on Wednesday, but other animals, like the giraffes and elephants seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Cauley says it is not uncommon for these animals to get frozen treats on hot days or to stand under the new shade canopies that the zoo recently installed. She says that animals like the elephants have an interesting way of keeping cool.
"We have different ponds within their exhibit, and they will utilize the mud wallows to cool off. They also use their trunks to get that water onto their backs and oftentimes, mixed with the mud, that kind of works as a sunscreen or shade. One other fun thing you'll notice with elephants is they flap their ears. So, that is kind of like a cooling mechanism and that can cool their body temperature from 10-to-15 degrees."
One of the big keys we kept hearing over and over at the zoo, whether you're an animal at the zoo or an animal visiting the zoo is hydration and shade. Enough of those seem to keep both man, and beast, happy.
