Calgary Zoo preparing to keep animals cool amid upcoming heatwave
Temperatures in Calgary are expected to eclipse 30 degrees for much of the next week, but the Calgary Zoo says it will keep animals cool.
Colleen Baird, senior manager of animal care at the zoo, said many of the animals are used to warmer temperatures.
“Most of our hoofed animals have shed out so they are quite slimmed down with their coat, very little hair on them,” she said.
“That’s by design. They will start to grow that, to get ready for the winter.”
Baird said the animal care team is big and works alongside vets that check regularly on the animals.
“If an animal is exhibiting unusual behaviour, more excessive panting than we would like to see we would take that case-by-case, and make a change,” said Baird.
“Whether that is (to) bring them inside to a cooler building, provide them with a sprinkler or do something different.”
Lions enjoy an afternoon nap at the Calgary Zoo, Aug.10, 2022
Baird added that the penguins cool off in a pool daily, but can also use the nearby sprinkler when they are out of the water.
For larger animals, it does take a while to cool off.
“We take a bucket, fill it with ice, put a couple pieces of fruit in there, and we freeze it,” said Baird.
“(We then) pull that out and put it in an exhibit. The bears will play with it, so they can rub on cold ice and pick away at the food that sort of melts throughout that.”
Baird says shelter and shade is key for many of the animals as they try to also beat the heat.
Penguins chilling at the Calgary Zoo, Aug. 10, 2022
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.