Birmingham Zoo prepped for winter

For the last several years, Alabama has been hit with more than its usual share of extremely cold days, sometimes leading to several inches of snow. It can cause closures across Birmingham and affect people — and creatures — all over the city, including the well-known and loved animals housed at the Birmingham Zoo. 

Whenever Birmingham is faced with weather-related issues, especially in the winter, so are the employees taking care of the zoo.

“Ice is always a challenge, but we work hard to stay ahead of forecasts and be as prepared as possible,” Vice President of Living Collections Stephanie Braccini Slade said.

Slade said they have specific “ride out crews” and protocols for what happens to the animals when bad weather is forecasted, which includes taking the animals to specially-designed temporary quarters indoors. She added that most people don’t know that the zoo even has an apartment on-grounds for the crew, so no one has to venture out to travel on unsafe roads. 

Director of Animal Health Stephanie McCain said the staff is well-prepared for the typically mild winters in Alabama, but even on the colder days, “the staff always ensures the animals are well cared for.”

“If we anticipate particularly bad weather, we will have designated animal care professionals stay overnight at the zoo,” McCain said. 

Another fact people might not know, she said, is how some of the animals enjoy Alabama winters more so than they do the heat of summer, and “can even be more active in the cold weather,” like the red panda and pallas cat. All year long, she said, each animal at the zoo that is housed outdoors has temperature guidelines for when they will be given access inside. 

In the winter time, many of these animals are also provided heated habitat areas where they can meander inside or outside in the cold to their liking. Some that are temperature-sensitive species, like the tortoises or the giant otter, are simply moved completely into “winter housing” with heat lamps. Slade said some animals only require heat sources that consist of additional bedding, like hay or other substrates. Both the orangutan and komodo dragon habitats, for example, have removable skylights so the animals can get fresh air in the summer. In the wintertime, they are kept closed to keep the cold out.

“Winter weather can be enriching and fun for some animals. Just like kids having a snow day off school, it’s novel and interesting, in small amounts,” Slade said. 

When the Birmingham Zoo chose its animals, Slade said they strived to choose only species who are already acclimated to Alabama climates so that they didn’t need to do much to prepare for winter weather. 

“We also pick the species that we house here at the Birmingham Zoo knowing the weather highs and lows, so we don’t need to move animals or create large, drastic changes to their environment,” Slade said. This way, they only have to stay prepared for the snow days, and no one has to worry about the animals’ comfort or safety on those days.

To learn more about the animals, go to birminghamzoo.com.