Animal Diaries Archive

How To Stay Cool This Summer

7 January 2005

G'day and welcome to another week of Rovers Rave. As we all know, summer has just arrived and this is our busiest and definitely the hottest part of the year, so many changes must occur in and around the Zoo to ensure the safety and well being of our roving animals.

All the girls in the team have put together many creative but practical ideas for the best way to keep our cute critters cool this summer!

Koalas: You would think with all that thick fluffy fur would definitely make summer just that bit harder for them, but I assure you they have it sorted out! This fur on their back acts as insulation during all seasons of the year and is highly waterproof during those wet summer storms that we endure. This is just one natural way they keep cool but we still like to offer them some additional ways to cool them down. For instance during photo sessions we provide a fan and a spray bottle to reduce the air temperature around them and even their enclosures are equipped with sprinklers that continuously spray water. This helps drop the air temperature and also wets down their food (eucalyptus leaves) making their dinner a little quenching on those hot afternoons.

Birds: All of our Roving birds are provided with 5 star accommodation. This includes ropes to climb, perches that swing, trees to play in and water bowls to cool in. When they are out and about greeting our guests, we wet our armbands that cool down the bird's feet. This helps cool them immediately as birds radiate their excess heat through their feet. They also love to have a drink from the water fountains around the Zoo, which is definitely the best way to stay cool.

Reptiles: This includes our cute Blue Tongue Lizards, Shingle Back Skinks, Boa Constrictors, American Corn Snakes and last but not least the American Alligators. We help these guys out by staying in a shaded area, which is great for them, and the rovers don't complain either! Back in their enclosures they are provided water bowls, or if you're an alligator a large pond to swim in, but that is certainly not all. The snakes and lizards are kept in temperature controlled rooms which means they live in air-conditioning! During summer, the temperature is kept around 28- 30 degrees celsius (perfect if you’re a reptile), and it sure is a lot cooler then the 35 degree heat that we have to work in.

Wombats: During summer the best ways of keeping our beautiful Common Wombats cool is air conditioning and ice blocks. Yes you read it correctly, ice blocks, for a wombat! We do this by adding their favourite foods such as carrots and sweet potato and freezing the ingredients over night to provide all four wombats with a refreshing bite to eat or drink. During their walks we stay in the shaded areas and carry a spray bottle to cool them off. Once they safely arrive home they return to their air-conditioned den for a midday rest.

Last but not least we need to keep the roving team refreshed as well, so we ensure this by drinking plenty of water during the day and wearing our hats. So remember keep cool this summer and rovers rule!