Zookeepers keep animals comfortable as Calgary temperatures drop

While plunging temperatures keep many people inside as much as possible, the polar bears at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo are right at home in the frigid cold.

The pair were diving into the cold water at their habitat Thursday morning, playing with the thick slabs of ice floating on top.

"They are handling it very, very well," said Jax Hoggard, supervisor of the Wild Canada Zone.

"They do have access to their holding building, they have access to the den, they have access to the pool. I would not have let them back out into the habitat if I was worried about the ice amount that was building up in the plunge pool," she said.

Zookeepers are closely monitoring all of the animals to make sure they're comfortable and safe during Calgary's cold snap.

Many of the animals at the zoo, especially in the Wild Canada and Gateway to Asia zones, are cold-tolerant, but some are being kept inside for safety.

The penguin plunge is scheduled to begin on Monday, but temperatures may push that back.

Though the penguins can handle extreme temperatures, the zoo's limit for a safe walk outside is -25 C.

The two polar bears, Baffin and Siku, have been at the zoo since October and are adjusting well to the new space and recent cold spell.

Hoggard said the pair have even been more active as the cold weather has set in.

"We feed them an exceptionally good diet to help them along throughout the year, to make sure that they can do what their body naturally needs to do to accumulate that really thick layer of fat at a safe rate and a safe amount," Hoggard said.

"We don't want them to be so fat that they're unhealthy."