Heating is not enough, animals need to be kept busy too in winter at Debrecen Zoo

With the arrival of winter, African striped giraffes can only spend a few hours outdoors. The building behind their enclosure is heated with underfloor and radiators to ensure the right temperature. Slipping can also be a serious problem for them.

“We are constantly on alert, a worse period could come at any time, even in autumn, when we need to solve the problem of bringing in those animals that can no longer stand this weather. For example, we can immediately place the birds inside, and we have to pay close attention to the water. We have temperature-controlled drinking fountains in most places, animal caretaker Norbert Nagy said.

The Apella capuchin monkeys also prefer heated interiors at this time of year, but they also ventured out into the runway for a game.

“In the case of zoo animals, the more time they spend inside during the winter, the more they are at risk of boredom, and we try to avoid this by offering them environmental management tools, as well as offering them food as often as possible, at different times, hidden away, and thus occupying their time a little better,” Area Manager and Head Nurse Milla Bajkán-Labovszki explained.

There are also some animals that are particularly happy in the cooler weather.The Siberian tigers, for example, rest in the snow. However, most of the zoo’s 200 species, 900 individuals, come from tropical conditions, so they need special attention from keepers during winter.

Source and photo credit:dehir.hu