Bloodsicles, popsicles, and misters — how the Austin Zoo keeps its animals cool
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AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the temperature continues to turn up in Central Texas, animals left out in the elements are feeling the heat.
While pet owners know to bring their cats and dogs inside when the weather reaches dangerous temperatures, the animals at the Austin Zoo have some other options.
To keep them cool, zoo staff members have a creative assortment of tricks up their sleeves, ranging from blood-filled popsicles, frozen juice and fruit to misters and hoses.
"For our herbivorous animals, we may give them a fruit juice or a fruit popsicle," Education Manager Hope Carr said. "For our carnivores, to cool them off we’ll give them something called a bloodsicle, which is like frozen meat juice that they tend to really enjoy."
The first step in taking care of the animals is providing them with a shaded shelter. Afternoon zoo visitors will be disappointed to find many of the animals out of sight when it starts to get hot.
Instead, they're inside shelters at the edge of their enclosures equipped with fans and water.
The animals are typically fed first thing in the morning. That way, they're able to use the energy required to break down food at a time that the heat isn't taking it away.
"Just like people and pets at home, animals can be at risk of things like heat exhaustion and heat stroke," Carr said.
Carr added primates are among the animals who enjoy the frozen treats. When the zookeepers aren't stopping by to offer snacks, the monkeys also have access to water that they're clever enough to turn on themselves, offering a drink or quick shower.
While some of the African big cats like lions, tigers and cheetahs are used to the heat, they still have outdoor pools to cool down in when they get hot. Others, like the Galapagos tortoises, benefit from misters that zookeepers turn on by hand.
The emus are happy to take a shower in a hose spraying them, at times laying down in the muddy puddles to have water covering their whole bodies.
Though these protocols at the zoo are designed for its more exotic animals, Carr said there are lessons pet owners can take from them.
"It can be really dangerous to give your dogs the level of exercise you would when it’s cooler when we are in these triple-digit temperatures," she said. "One thing that you can do is give them frozen Kongs, and give them more mental stimulation since they’re not getting that same level of physical exertion."