Zoo Animals Adapt to Winter Weather

Jan. 9, 2010 — -- This week when sub-zero temperatures hit the nation, we humans bundled up and made the best of it. But animals can't just reach for some mittens and a muffler, and that's why many species have been having a terrible time tolerating the unusual fluctuations in temperatures.

In Florida, "cold-stunned" sea turtles have been found floating on the water. Thousands of butterflies in Coconut Creek are grounded because they can't flap their wings in weather this cold. Iguanas have been dropping off branches because the cold puts them into a deep sleep. And zoos across the nation are scrambling. In Texas, zookeepers have raced to set up heat lamps and lay out plastic tarps to protect animals like kangaroos that could easily succumb to frostbite.

But at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, the animals are better prepared than most to meet the demands of winter's harsh conditions. Christopher, the zoo's "Lion King," spends most of his day basking on a 75 degree heated rock that the zoo had installed especially for him. From there, Christopher can survey his kingdom while remaining toasty warm on even the coldest of days. Zookeepers activate the coils under the rock in late fall and keep it on throughout the winter. There are heated rocks for the two tigers, too.

"People are always surprised that we have lions and tigers out here in the winter. But you have to remember, lions used to roam all the way up into Europe," said John Linehan, executive director of Zoo New England.

And because temperatures in New England regularly drop down to the 20s and 30s in the winter, the animals have been acclimated to the cold. That's an advantage their southern counterparts don't have.

"When it gets below zero it's more challenging for us, but for the most part we have designed the zoo and acquired animals that can adapt to the cold weather," Linehan said.