Zoo Animals Stay Warm During the Cold Blast
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DULUTH - On these cold winter days most people avoid the outdoors at all costs, but some animals at the Lake Superior Zoo are soaking it all in.
"They enjoy it, they get a little frisky," zookeeper Rachel Meili said.
The cats in particular do not mind the single temperatures and the barnyard animals hang outside, too.
However, they stay strategically away from the wind.
"They can handle raw cold pretty well but like most things, the wind chills pretty nasty, which is why I'm probably tucking these ones away in their stalls tonight," zookeeper James Gregory said.
Some animals will spend a rare night inside Thursday, as the temperatures and wind chill drop well into the negative double digits.
"It's supposed to get much colder tonight than it has been in a while," Gregory said.
Animals like the lynx can enjoy a little heat under the rock to get them outside, but some are not as tolerant.
"This is Titan here, this is the biggest baby of all," zookeeper Dave Thompson said.
Inside, lemurs were snacking on grapes inside their exhibit that stays at a toasty 75 to 80 degrees.
They do not head outside unless it is about 60 degrees.
But, the colobuses tend to be a little more adventurous.
"They can step outside if they would like to and in fact Kero here, our 10-year-old female, she does like to eat snow," Thompson said.
Some animals, like the prairie dog, play it safe and only come out for a bit of food and exercise.
"When it's not below zero out they will stick their heads out to run about, get their exercise in and eat whatever tidbits we set out for them," Gregory said.
The Lake Superior Zoo will remain open for visitors unless weather conditions create a safety concern for visitors or employees.
Zookeepers say the animals actually have extra energy to show off during the cold months.
