What do zoos do with animals in the winter?

A lot of Zoo animals choose to go outside in the winter. Dens, heated rocks and other exhibit features help them stay comfortable, even in the rain and snow. The Zoo also has heated, indoor exhibits that keep animals (and visitors) warm on cold winter days.



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While some animals may not be viewable to guests during the winter months, and some are visible year-round, every animal has an indoor facility and also has the option to enjoy the outdoors as well (with the exception of our cold-blooded friends who prefer the indoors).

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Usually, the elephants choose to remain outdoors. The indoor area is equipped with large sand beds that provide a soft place for the elephants to sleep when they are inside. Additionally, large industrial freezer flaps hang over the elephants' door to the outside.

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Pepper Family Wildlife Center provides many environmental choices for the lions, including both embedded heating (in the form of heated rocks) and cooling elements. On a cool day, chances are you'll spot the pride lounging on the heated rocks in their habitat.

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“You're going to want to come on a warmer day,” Adrienne Sebade said, a zookeeper. “A day where it's around 45 or 50 degrees because that's when most things are going to be out. If it's a day where it is 20 or 30 degrees, nothing is going to be out.” If the animals are indoors it doesn't mean they aren't having fun.

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“You're going to want to come on a warmer day,” Adrienne Sebade said, a zookeeper. “A day where it's around 45 or 50 degrees because that's when most things are going to be out. If it's a day where it is 20 or 30 degrees, nothing is going to be out.”

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Broadly, some elephant experts say urban zoos simply don't have the space that African elephants, who roam extensive distances in the wild to forage for hundreds of pounds of vegetation each day, need for a normal life.

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Elephants at zoos enjoy interacting with visitors, according to a new study. Research by Harper Adams and Nottingham Trent universities found that the animals' positive behaviours such as social activity increased around visitors, while indicators of boredom decreased.

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In their bedrooms, holding areas, we have kinda beds of hay for them to sleep in. More than 500 animals get escorted inside every night. They get their food, the main part of their diet in there, said Fisher. Animals take more naps and generally do sleep longer than humans.

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Most big zoos have a fulltime staff of veterinarians and other health experts. They examine the animals and treat them in case they become ill. However, even in zoos, animals can get hurt. Small hospitals stand by if operations are necessary.

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For giraffes, the world's tallest land mammal, captivity presents multiple welfare issues, not least because of their huge size, climactic needs, the natural tendency to roam great distances, and their adaptation to spend around 60% of their time foraging.

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In 2006, the Bronx Zoo announced no further elephants would be acquired, a measure taken by other zoos after calls from the public and animal experts stated that elephants do not belong in captivity thus affecting their natural behaviors as social creatures.

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MYTH 4: Animals in Zoos are happy. Animals in captivity across the globe have been documented displaying signs of anxiety and depression. In fact, psychological distress in zoo animals is so common that it has its own name: Zoochosis.

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You can have a unique experience with an elephant at 72 AZA-accredited zoos. Visit any of these AZA-accredited zoos today to learn more about elephants, how the zoo is contributing to conservation and what you can do to help.

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Wild and Long-Lived The findings show that captive elephants live considerably shorter lives. For African elephants, the median life span is 17 years for zoo-born females, compared to 56 years in the Amboseli National Park population.

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