PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia Zoo is going the extra mile to help keep its animals as comfortable as possible in the sweltering heat.
The zoo's otters were splashing around in their pool, which is set to a cooler temperature, but they also get to play with their food.
"Just like they have every day, we want to make sure that it is at a suitable temperature for them, so they can jump in and cool off any time they want," said Michael Stern, curator of primates and small mammals at the Philadelphia Zoo.
"What is special for these hot, hot days: They got some frozen fish balls, which are just their regular diet, kind of mashed up and frozen and formed into a ball so that they don't just swallow it right away like they normally would. They are going to play with it a little bit, get some fun new activity out of it, but also cool off a little bit while they are enjoying it."
The humans who are enjoying the animals appear to be having a bigger challenge staying cool.
Leah was pushing her 2-year-old son in a stroller that day and watching the otters in action from a shaded spot.
"We got some fun spray bottles down here, that he is just enjoying himself with. We are trying to find these wonderful spots of shade," Leah said.
"But on a hot summer day, I'd rather be in there."
Stern said many wild animals are more suited to handling extreme heat than the humans who take care of them.
"We obviously sweat to cool off, and some animals do sweat, and that helps them cool off," said Stern.
"Others are just going to reduce their activity and sit in the shade, but of course we offer them some things to help them cool off, things like misters. Some choose pools and mud wallows, or even frozen treats like you seen some of them get."
A giant tortoise at the Philadelphia Zoo receiving a water spray after getting a mudbath.John McDevitt/KYW Newsradio
He said the miniature horses and goats like to take advantage of the misters. Each animal gets customized ways to stay cool.
"Just like you might have on your porch with a misting system to bring it down a few degrees, we do the same things for a lot of the animals at the zoo, and then they have that choice," said Stern.
"If they want to go stand under the mister and get drenched and really cooled off, they can do that. If they just want to stand off to the side and catch the breeze, they can do that too. We love to offer our animals choice and control every chance we get."
Tony the Rhino after a mudbath.John McDevitt/KYW Newsradio
On the day we visited, Tony the Rhino chose a enjoyed a mud bath to cool off. The giant tortoises used a similar plan.
"That cools you off even better than water does, because once get out of the mud it still sticks to your body. It is going to continue cooling you for a while. You saw Tony the Rhino with a bunch of mud all over him. It was really clear that he had been really enjoying that wallow today," said Stern.
"We also got to see the keeper hosing them down, which they love. They love the interaction with folks as well as the cool spray from the hose. So that's a special treat for a hot day like today."
Stern added that the alpacas were recently sheared.
And the hippos? Well, they wouldn't get out of the pool. Not a bad strategy this weekend.
