AKRON, Ohio — The Akron Zoo features animals from all across the globe, some of which are from very different climates than Ohio.
Stephanie Chandler is the behavioral husbandry manager at the Akron Zoo.
She says when temperatures start to drop, the zoo makes necessary changes to keep their animals safe and healthy.
“It definitely depends on the species; some of them adapt much better than others, like our coyotes and red wolves. They grow thicker fur in the winter just like some dogs at home do,” explained Chandler.
For animals not native to this area, it takes some prepping to get them ready for an Ohio winter.
“We add some help with temperature regulation to the habitats, whether it is some extra bedding or some heat panels. We also add tarps to break the wind in some areas,” said Chandler.
The zoo works to make the animals as comfortable as possible so they can enjoy the outdoors all year long.
Chandler says for many animals, winter is their favorite season.
“That is some of their most exciting times. For them and for us, if it has just snowed, they can stick their head out and get a breath of fresh air and their might be a warm bed or something out in their habitat and they can walk around.”
Zoo employees also must change the diets for many of the animals ahead of the cold.
“So, we hit Oct. 1 or (Oct. 15) or something, we might add some extra calories to diets, and sometime,s it is the animals behavior that actually tells us if they are more hungry or less hungry they want to choose a certain spot to sleep so we make that a little more cozy for them. That sort of thing.”
