Zoo weathers snow
Zookeeping a tough job this winterBy DAN FELDNER, Staff Writer dfeldner@minotdailynews.com
Article Photos
Like everyone else in Minot, the staff at Roosevelt Park Zoo are doing their best to deal with a winter the likes of which hasn't been seen in quite some time.
Dana Pritschet, zoo director, said that while the large amount of snow hasn't bothered any of the animals, things are a little bit different when it comes to the staff that takes care of those animals.
"It probably hasn't had too much of an impact on most of the animals ... the African animals are in heated facilities, so they're still doing their winter thing," Pritschet said. "But for the staff, it's definitely had an impact on us."
Pritschet said the golf carts used by the staff in the summer had to be stored this winter because they couldn't make it through all the snow. As it is, the more rugged John Deere utility vehicles are still having a tough time making the rounds through the zoo. Pritschet said the vehicles do OK if the snow is plowed, but once it starts to pile up, the keepers tend to get stuck and have to get shoveled out.
"Our daily chores that need to be done are all throughout the zoo, so it's not in one central location," she said. "I know the zoo keepers are getting stuck a lot, everything freezes up, you know, it's just a little bit of extra work to move around. With snow removal, things like that, it's been definitely a chore for us."
Besides moving around the zoo through the snow and frozen water problems, Pritschet also said they've had a few furnaces in some of the animal enclosures go out when it gets bitterly cold.
Keeping the water thawed and the furnaces working is especially important when the temperatures drop dangerously below freezing. Some, but not all, of the buildings have alarm systems to alert staff when the temperature drops too low, and Pritschet said the animals are always the first thing they think about should problems arise.
"Some of the animals just do wonderful in the wintertime. Our North American animals, those native to this area do fine. We maybe just give them a little bit of extra bedding. But they are pretty well suited for being outside and are doing great," she said. "But you know, the African barns and our clinic and ed center, all the rest of the facilities are heated. Even the cat house is heated to maintain a nice, warm temperature in there for them."
While some of the animals aren't used to such
extreme temperatures, she said overall they have had a much easier time dealing with the weather than the keepers have.
"You know, I always tell people the animals are great, they're warm and toasty, and they're getting fed the same as always. It's the zoo keepers that are out every day when it's 20 below," Pritschet said. "You know, they're bundled up in their coveralls and outside working, and they're still making trips over to the hay shed ... so it's a lot harder on the zoo keepers than it is on the animals."
To further keep the animals as comfortable as possible, Pritschet said they have enrichment programs throughout the winter to keep them active even though it's too cold to be outside. They use a combination of natural and artificial items that are different and out of the ordinary to keep the animals entertained and stimulated throughout the winter.
"Giving them extra stimuli in their exhibits and in their barns to keep them active and happy and motivated through the winter, it could be anything from toys to special treat boxes where they have to manipulate to get their food," she said. "Like the giraffes, we'll put their food in a tub with holes and they have to use their tongue to get the food out, or we'll even put movies on for the primates to watch."
Last year they tried a new program to freeze browse, which are basically leafy tree branches, to feed to the hoofed stock throughout the winter. This proved to be so successful that they expanded it considerably this year. The branches are pruned and then put into vacuum-sealed bags and frozen so they can be thawed over the winter to give the animals as an enrichment treat.
"It helps them make it through the winter," Pritschet said.
Some animals even come up with their own enrichment. Pritschet said the otters in particular probably enjoy the snow the most.
"The otters are always just a trip in the wintertime. We do drain their pool so they don't have water in their exhibit, but it fills up with snow. And they slide in the snow and dig tunnels and play in it," she said. "Usually the first snowfall of the year we, as a staff, sneak over and see the otters and watch them play, and they have a really good time."
Although it might seem like years away, one thing the zoo staff are thinking about is how quickly the spring thaw will melt all the snow. While the maintenance department has done a commendable job keeping the snow plowed throughout the winter, Pritschet said there could be problems, or at least inconveniences, once spring hits and all the water from those piles of snow starts looking for someplace to go.
"Now with all the snow, we could have some trouble in the spring if we have a quick melt. Our pens are gonna be a muddy mess, you know, and the water's just gonna run through here," she said. "So I know that's another concern that we have, too."
Along with the mess the melting snow will create, Pritschet said it could also have a minor impact on when they can get the animals out of their enclosures in the spring.
"With this much snow, we're going to have to wait for the pens to not be icy and for there to be no more snow around before we can let a lot of those animals out. So that's kind of a bother to us, too, because we like them to be outside," she said. "You know how we get cooped up in the winter? The critters get cooped up in the winter, too. So we all are definitely looking forward to spring."
While the melting snow might make things a mess in the spring, Pritschet said it will not affect the zoo's opening. She said the plan is to open Saturday, April 25, no matter what. At worst, she said the extra water from all the snow will push their cleanup back a bit, but the zoo will still open on time.
Even though this has been the most challenging winter Pritschet has gone through as zoo director, she still prefers to look on the bright side of things as the days on the calendar slowly move closer to spring.
"I guess one thing about having a winter like this, it just makes looking forward to spring and summer that much better," she said. "When we come in out of the cold, we go, 'Wow, we just can't wait to be open and for the spring thaw.'"
