Cooped up all Winter

The thing I remember reading when I was down at the Reid Park Zoo, is that polar bears are arid adapted, so the dry heat doesn't bother them nearly as much as it would somewhere more humid like Miami (which doesn't have polar bears btw)
 
Yes, at least that much I agree with. The arctic air is very dry which of course we have in the desert. Our female polar bear arrived a couple years ago with a lot of missing hair from a skin condition she had at her previous home in Rhode Island. After a few months in the dry Tucson air, it had completely cleared up and she had a full coat again.
 
I find a considerable amount of animals from warm/hot places don't seem to mind Toronto's winters! I've seen their Sable Antelopes (who develop shaggier coats in the winter) go about their way, as if it was it was summer. Same with the hyenas. With the exception of their geriatric male, the lions don't mind the winter, either.
 
zoogeek said:
I think people forget (but not at this message board!:))that endothermy is an evolutionary adaptation that allowed mammals to be successful, more successful than reptiles, in multiplying on this planet.

@zoo visitor and @arizona docent, I'm curious what kind of things your keepers do with animals like polar bears in the summer? That was a frequent question I got at our polar bear exhibit.
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From my observations as a twice-a-week-at-least visitor, the Philadelphia Zoo keepers do pretty much the same as at Arizona Docent's zoo.

Throughout the summer, even on the hottest days, the polar bears can be seen napping on their rocks, or on their grass, or swimming in their pool, which is stocked with beach balls and plastic tubes for them to wrestle with.

I have never seen them look stressed or uncomfortable even during long periods of hot weather.

The snow leopards spend most of their day napping, like all cats do, whether it is summer or winter here. And when feeding time is approaching, they are alert and prowling around their exhibits with the same anticipation whether the temperature is 20 degrees or 90 degrees.

The one funny thing I noticed a couple of years ago was that one of the snow leopards refused to walk onto the snow in its exhibit. It stayed on the dry patches the whole day even though there were enrichment items placed all around the exhibit.

Other than that one instance in which it appeared that a snow leopard did not like snow, though, it appears that all the animals at the Philadelphia Zoo have adapted perfectly to all phases of the Philadelphia climate.
 
I feel this topic keeps coming round every few months!

To be objective, longevity, breeding and welfare in wealthy northern zoos is one of the best on the planet. Eg. Chicago, Bronx, Berlin, Zurich.

The only thing I worry is large reptiles. Crocodiles, giant tortoises, komodo dragons. There is research that large ectotherms have great difficulty warming up in moderate temperature. And warm midday summer in W Europe (20's oC) is only equal to the cold midwinter in tropics. This is I think the reason why eg. Galapagos and Aldabra tortoises hardly breed.
 
Our polar bear gets fish popsicles in the summer! Whole fish frozen in a block of ice! Fun to watch! That's in addition to her toys, bones and access to her indoor den which is not air-conditioned but dark and cave-like. But then she loves the water and is very playful.

I think reptiles are very difficult to take care of. Everything must be just so: the humidity, the temperature, the lighting. I had thought about getting a skink as a pet but then decided against it. Cats are easier!

@arizona docent, I don't think I'd want to wear even a down vest on a hot summer day but then I've got sweat glands all over my body! That thing would be soaked with perspiration after a couple of hours.
 
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