Frozen treats, cold showers and lots of ice; Florida zoo works to protect animals from summer heat

(21 Jul 2024)

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4507409

RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
West Palm Beach, Florida - 18 July 2024
1. Tortoise crawling
++PARTIALLY COVERED++
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Terrell, Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society:
"So the well-being of our animals is the most important goal that we have here at the Palm Beach Zoo. So we have very detailed plans to, to provide, you know, opportunities for them to cool off during the summertime."
3. People watching bears
4. Bear in the water
5. Various of bears playing in ice
++COVERED++
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Terrell, Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society:
"Our black bears Lewis and Clark have their own chilled pool. We keep it chilled to a nice 74 degrees and they love swimming in that every day. They also have their own ice maker. And so we'll take, buckets of ice and place them out on habitat that they just dive right into. We also saw our otters, so our four otters, Luna and Ollie and Peach and Yoshi, and we give them treats that are frozen in blocks of ice. So we take food like smelt, freeze it in a block of ice and put it in their water for them to not only cool off with, but it actually is really stimulating for them to tear the ice apart and get their food."
7. Various of otters getting an ice treat
8. Various of tiger with bone in ice and frozen milk
++COVERED++
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Terrell, Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society:
"Our tigers have a habitat that already has a river in it. So a lot of people don't realize that tigers love to swim, so they actually spend a lot of time in the water. But when they're really warm, what we'll do is we'll make special treats for them. So we'll take a bone and freeze it in a block of ice, and we'll also freeze goat milk. They love drinking goat milk, and putting it into a frozen block is nice and refreshing for them."
10. Various of tiger with bone in ice and frozen milk
++COVERED++
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Terrell, Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society:
"So our tortoises are Aldabra tortoises. Really love to take showers. So they come from an environment that is normally very, very hot and doesn't have a lot of water in it. So any sort of water in their environment is really stimulating for them. So sometimes we like to go over there with our hose and just make a little shower for them, and they'll usually stretch out their legs and lean into it. And it's probably kind of like a hydro massage for them, because they can actually feel it through their shell."
12. Various of tortoises sprayed with water
++COVERED++
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Terrell, Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society:
"You know, summertime here in South Florida feels like it's from, you know, April until November. So during that entire time, especially during the really hot months of July, August, September, when that humidity is really hot, there's a lot of sunshine. That's when we're providing opportunities for them to cool off on a daily basis."
14. Zoo worker showing visitors the otter exhibit
15. Bear playing in ice
16. Otters playing with ice
17. Tiger eating
18. Tortoises crawling
STORYLINE:
Zoos in hot weather states like Florida are working hard during the summer to keep their animals cool.

At the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society, keepers throw big piles of ice into the black bear enclosure for the animals to wallow in.

Otters get ice blocks and frozen fish in their water to play with and eat.


Zookeepers are also showering giant tortoises with cool water, which they can feel through their shells. 

[hongchan]

Well being of the animals?! How about let them go and be free?
How would you like if another being lock you up and toss you a cold Starbucks iced coffee on a hot day!?