The Dallas and Fort Worth Zoos may be closed Friday due to icy conditions, but that doesn鈥檛 mean staffers get the day off.
Days before major weather events like this week鈥檚 winter storm, zoo employees jump into action by checking heating and water systems, salting pathways and corralling animals into indoor enclosures.
鈥淥ur nutrition team was working in overdrive preparing diets for all of the animals,鈥� Fort Worth Zoo spokesperson Avery Elander said. 鈥淲ith 7,000 mouths to feed, they certainly have their work cut out for them.鈥�
It鈥檚 a little more involved than leaving out extra kibble.
Kerri Slifka, curator of nutrition at the Dallas Zoo, says staffers have stayed at or near the zoo since Wednesday to care for the animals.
鈥淲hen we know we鈥檙e going to get a major storm, there鈥檚 usually people staying overnight to keep an eye on heaters and buildings and critical animals,鈥� she said. 鈥淧ower outages are always a big concern. We just try and stay out of our coolers and freezers as long as possible so we can keep them as cold as possible.鈥�
Due to supply-chain issues related to the pandemic, Slifka鈥檚 team already keeps a healthy stockpile of food and other supplies.
鈥淲e鈥檝e always got at least a month鈥檚 worth of our frozen meat, fish and prey items and at least a month鈥檚 worth of our dry feed,鈥� she said.
The snow doesn鈥檛 have a major impact on most zoo animals since they are moved into indoor enclosures. The real challenge is transporting supplies.
鈥淣ormally, we鈥檙e packing all that stuff up and going out in the park in the dark,鈥� Slifka said. 鈥淲hen it comes to storms like this, we shift over to transit vans because it鈥檚 too cold to be out in the golf carts, and things will freeze.鈥�
The ice and snow don鈥檛 just present challenges for zoo staff. It can also be an enrichment opportunity for some species.
This week, Brazos, a 3-month-old elephant at the Fort Worth Zoo, saw snow for the first time.
鈥淗e dipped his trunk into it and kind of tiptoed out and ran back in the barn,鈥� Elander said. 鈥淗e wasn't too sure what was going on. His mom went out and spent some time outdoors, so he eventually appeared to be brave enough to go outside and walk around with her.鈥�
Species native to Texas like the Fort Worth Zoo's longhorn calf are more inclined to venture outdoors during icy weather.
For animals who cannot be out in the snow too long, Elander says zookeepers bring samples inside.
鈥淥ne of the rhinos was dipping her horn in it and eating it,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ur younger male rhino, Crockett, didn鈥檛 seem to care for it. He just pecked out his food that the keepers buried in the snow.鈥�
Indifferent rhinos aside, neither zoo has reported major upsets like power outages or facility damage during this week's storm.
Got a tip? Email Miguel Perez at mperez@kera.org. You can follow him on Twitter .
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