Animal Diaries Archive

The Heat is on!

30 September 2005

After quite a cool winter, most of the keepers have welcomed the warm spring weather with open arms. Although it's fantastic for us, unfortunately some of our animals in the Native Mammals Department are from cooler climates and can get knocked around by the heat. From now through to Christmas and the New Year it will become vital for us to maintain a comfortable living environment for these animals.

Enter the 5-star, resort-style luxuries that we offer our animal crew! Both the Tasmanian Devil and Common Wombat dens are fitted with air-conditioners that run all year round, providing a constant cool temperature that's perfect for sleeping comfort. Most of our animals also enjoy access to a pond, either to swim in like the otters, or simply just to wade through to cool off. Kato, our youngest Common Wombat, loves wandering throughout her pond keeping her paws nice and cool and generally showing off to her keepers and guests. Finally, another way we ensure our crew are cool and comfortable in the summer heat is by adding ice blocks to their diet. By freezing their favourite food items into appropriate containers, our animals can slurp away on the cool treat until they reach the food inside. Talk about living the life of luxury!