Zoo in winter?

January 5th, 2009 • Related • Filed Under

By Megan Pennefather • MIRROR STAFF WRITER

Compared to the Arctic, Michigan winter is a springtime stroll for those giant white furballs at the Detroit Zoo.

“The polar bears are in their prime right now,” said Bob Lessnau, curator for mammals at the Detroit Zoo.

Of course, polar bears don’t have to drive in this weather, but still, frigid temperatures and snow only make the Arctic Ring of Life exhibit more of a playground for them, he said. “They’re having a great time out there.”

So are a lot of animals at the zoo, as the colder weather brings out a lot of mammals like wolverines, red pandas and even the tigers.

“It is a better time to see animals,” said Lessnau, adding he once saw gorillas playing in the snow at the Cleveland Zoo a few years back.

A Japanese macaque, or snow monkey, has a conversation with other snow monkeys at the Detroit Zoo. Snow monkeys are one of many animals more active this time of year.

Even though many zoo species hail from subtropical and tropical climates, mammals are warm-blooded and can adapt to some pretty punishing conditions.

“I think I’m having a harder time than these animals,” Lessnau said of the winter weather. “The animals do adapt to it.”

In the heat of summer, most animals sleep during the day to conserve energy, so visiting the zoo on an 85-degree day can be kind of a yawn.

Still, the dog days of summer are the zoo’s busiest time of year. Zoo spokeswoman Patricia Mills Janeway said zoo attendance is 200,157 in July compared to 22,724 in November.

“Many people contact the Detroit Zoo this time of year and ask when we close for the season,” said Janeway. “The answer is, we don’t.”

For those animals that can’t adapt to the conditions, exhibits are either moved indoors, as in the case of the meerkats, or on hold until spring, like with the giraffes. Animals like the apes are allowed outside but with easy access to a heat source.

The winter will also be a transformative time for the zoo, said Lessnau, as the facility is trying to acquire rare “cold-tolerant” animals, like the takin, a goat-antelope that hails from the eastern Himalayas. More farm animals will be added as well, like pigs and an amber-colored Scottish Highlands steer.

The Detroit Zoo is open 362 days a year.

In addition, the zoo will be replacing one of its two male tigers with a female in hopes there will be a new cub in a few months. “Come spring,” said Lessnau, “the zoo will have a new look to it.”

But that’s still months away. Now’s the time to see how some of your favorite animals act when put in the cold.

See the elk come alive. See the polar bears play. See the bison – well, the bison don’t do a whole lot no matter the weather, but they’re interesting to see. But the most surprising stars of winter viewing are the wolverines.

“The wolverines are really fun to watch,” said Lessnau. “It almost seems like they’re doing snow angels.”

And even if the animals aren’t enough to lure you in, the scenic serenity of a zoo in winter may.

“When it’s dressed up in snow,” Lessnau said of the zoo, “it’s a beautiful place.”

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