Annie the chimp likes fruitsicles.
Gene the jaguar prefers his mixed with blood and fish.
And Nigalya the red panda appreciates some veggies in the frozen treat.
As temperatures vault into the high 90s and heat indexes soar into the triple digits, Chattanoogans are doing everything they can to fend off the piercing heat.
But the furry, scaly and horned critters at the Chattanooga Zoo have no control over their environments. So it’s up to the keepers to keep the animals cool.
It’s all about water misters, clean ponds, climate-controlled habitats and cool treats, said Kirk Parker, the zoo’s senior keeper.
“With these blistering summer months, we have been doing different forms of enrichment to keep our animals cool,” he said.
Overcast skies Monday kept temperatures below the forecasted high. Monday’s high in Chattanooga was 90 degrees.
But the National Weather Service predicts the high temperatures today and Wednesday will be in the mid- to upper 90s. Overnight lows will be the low 70s.
The heat index, which measures how hot it feels when temperature and humidity are combined, is forecast to be from 100 to 106 degrees today and from 101 to 108 Wednesday, according to the weather service.
There are roughly 180 animals at the zoo, Parker said, and several times a week many of them can be seen munching on different types of “sicles,” code for frozen goodies.
For the carnivores, it’s bloodsicles and fishsicles, while the herbivores are busy licking on fruitsicles and veggiesicles.
“It’s definitely a stress reliever – something to keep them cool and keep them happy,” keeper Jessica Bankston said as she watched four of the zoo’s five chimps chilling with some fresh fruitsicles.
Because of work from keepers at zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums – including the Chattanooga Zoo – there have been no reported animal deaths nationwide because of heat this summer, association spokesman Steve Feldman said.
“(Our zookeepers) are very clued into making sure these animals are well taken care of and comfortable, even in extreme heat,” said Feldman, whose organization is based in Silver Spring, Md.
While there are no specific association rules regarding heat for the 860,000 animals at association-certified facilities, “husbandry guidelines” are shared among them, he said.
Feldman explained that zoos frequently will allow animals access to indoor facilities when the mercury is climbing.
“Even if (visitors) can’t see them, it’s more important that they’re well taken care of,” he said.
That’s exactly what the Chattanooga Zoo is doing for animals such as snow leopards, Arctic foxes and red pandas, which naturally are more suited for environments such as those found in the Himalayan mountains than those in the sweltering South, Parker said.
These animals, located in the zoo’s Asian section, have access to a cool place when the sun is directly overhead, he said.
“That whole (Asian building) is kept at a cooler climate, because each one of those animals (has) so much more of a colder climate in their native habitat,” Parker explained.
Even animals whose bodies are accustomed to heat, such as jaguars and camels, get special treatment, he said. While the camels don’t seem to mind being sprayed down by a hose, the jaguars spend hours licking giant cubes of ice.
Keeper Jason Bankston said he typically puts chicken and beef broth, seafood and various spices in the cubes, which he makes the night before so they’ll have time to freeze.
While standing in the air-conditioned viewing area watching the zoo’s two male jaguars tackle the ice, Bankston observed: “They’ll be working on those all day.”
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