Exotic animals take Western Pa. heat in stride
Muggy summer afternoons send people in droves to air-conditioned rooms, but a sweltering day won’t faze a giraffe.
Friday, July 28, was one of the hottest days of the summer for Butler County. With hot air from the south venturing up to Western Pennsylvania, portions of the county saw the heat index top 100 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Shannon Heffran, meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Pittsburgh office.
But for exotic animals housed just outside of Butler County — many of them acclimated to hot climates — Friday was just another summer day.
The heat doesn’t pose an issue to many of the animals cared for in Keystone Safari Park in Mercer County, said owner Adam Guiher.
On the opposite end, the park’s cold climate animals require more attention on hot days, he said.
“Some animals, like reindeer, we worry most about during the heat,” Guiher said.
A large indoor area with shade and series of fans keeps the reindeer cool, he said.
Guiher said Friday that there had been no instances of the animals showing signs of heat-related illnesses, but that staff would respond quickly in the event that an animal would be unable to properly regulate its body temperature.
Still, the hot weather saw many warm-blooded animals slow down and conserve energy. Lions are more likely to sleep and lounge around than sprint or wrestle on a hot day, Guiher said. Others, like giraffes, seemed indifferent, he said.
Coldblooded animals, on the other hand, such as snakes, thrive in heat, which speeds up their metabolism. The hotter it gets, the faster they get, Guiher said.
At Living Treasures Animal Park in Lawrence County, the heat saw Brazilian tapirs submerge themselves in water, big cats laying in the sun, macaws growing more talkative and Marabou storks sitting and extending their wings to absorb the sunlight, said park manager Crystal Miller.
Sprinklers in the park keep tigers cool and “meatsicles,” or, in layman’s terms, frozen chicken in a bucket, is the refreshing summer treat offered to the park’s resident carnivores.
Miller said the park is heavily wooded, allowing for animals to retreat in the shade if they need to. Other animal enclosures are temperature-regulated and fans are in place to keep air circulating, she said.
Many of the animals are not prone to heat stress since they are originally from hotter parts of the world, said Morgan Slater, animal care lead.
Some animals also have features that make them more resistant to hot weather.
The long, large ears of a fennec fox, which is native to the deserts of North Africa, almost act like fans, Miller said, and the pads on their feet are full of fur that protects them from hot surfaces.
Slater said tapirs prefer the warmth to lower temperatures. By October, the pond they spend a lot of time in is too cold for them, she said.
The unique challenge in caring for exotic animals in extreme weather concerns the safety and comfort of staff members themselves.
“Zookeepers work extra hard on a day like this,” Guiher said.
Preparing enrichment activities, watching younger, heat stress-prone animals and making sure the area is properly equipped for the weather takes extra effort from staff on top of daily duties, like cleaning animal enclosures.
Staff works in the hottest and coldest days of the year, he said.
“It’s something you sign up for in that line of work,” Guiher said. “The reality is it takes a bit of toughness. It’s not something you can avoid.”
Air-conditioned break rooms and patrol cars offer some relief to workers, he said. Guiher said Keystone Safari Park closed its zip-line and bounce houses on Friday due to the weather.
