What is the lowest degree Celsius that each of these animals can be placed to outdoor exhibit?

StellarChaser

StellarChaser

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Giant anteater
Maned Wolf
Egyptian Vulture
Bald Ibis
Bongo Antelope
Giant Eland
Arabian Oryx
Hartmann's Mountain Zebra
Harpy Eagle
King Vulture
Mountain Tapir
Red-legged Seriema
African Wild Dog
Southern Pudu
Great Roadrunner
Tasmanian Devil
Emu
Meerkat
Jaguar
Gaur
Nilgai
Capybara
 
I find that different curators make different decisions on this. Some are more conservative and keep animals in while others let the animals decide and still others allow animals out in colder weather keeping in mind the micorclimates in their exhibits.
 
StellarChaser said:
Giant anteater
Maned Wolf
Egyptian Vulture
Bald Ibis
Bongo Antelope
Giant Eland
Arabian Oryx
Hartmann's Mountain Zebra
Harpy Eagle
King Vulture
Mountain Tapir
Red-legged Seriema
African Wild Dog
Southern Pudu
Great Roadrunner
Tasmanian Devil
Emu
Meerkat
Jaguar
Gaur
Nilgai
Capybara
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These links should help. They are from the US so you'll need to convert from Farenheit.

Ungulates- Ungulate Profiles
Avians-
Avian Scientific Advisory Group
Various-
Animal Care Manuals | Association of Zoos & Aquariums
 
Great Argus said:
What is this for? Obviously a lot of variables influence the answer for each species, but general recommendations are out there.
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Well, I am just curious about certain animals' adaptability to the cold environment, when I go to Toronto Zoo in winter I see many outdoor exhibits are empty since the temperature doesn't allow many animals to go outside. I am wondering that if zoos in such cold cities focus on certain cold-tolerated species that might make the zoo still attractive in the wintertime?
 
StellarChaser said:
Well, I am just curious about certain animals' adaptability to the cold environment, when I go to Toronto Zoo in winter I see many outdoor exhibits are empty since the temperature doesn't allow many animals to go outside. I am wondering that if zoos in such cold cities focus on certain cold-tolerated species that might make the zoo still attractive in the wintertime?
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Compare the collection in Toronto to that of Assiniboine
 
Zooplantman said:
Compare the collection in Toronto to that of Assiniboine
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For the most part I think Assiniboine has created a great example of a collection appropriate for the cold Canadian climate.

With the exception of the red kangaroos, dromedary and gibbons (which would be better substituted with Japanese macaques) all the tropical species are very small and suitable for indoor housing half the year.
 
toothlessjaws said:
For the most part I think Assiniboine has created a great example of a collection appropriate for the cold Canadian climate.

With the exception of the red kangaroos, dromedary and gibbons (which would be better substituted with Japanese macaques) all the tropical species are very small and suitable for indoor housing half the year.
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Dromedary camels are not a tropical species and can comfortably live outside year-round even in cold temperatures. To a lesser extent, kangaroos fit this as well- I've seen kangaroos comfortably kept outside down to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder, and as long as Assiniboine has a large enough barn there's nothing wrong with roos in cold climates. Gibbons, however, wouldn't be able to be outside year-round, yet are a small species and as long as the holding is decent aren't an unreasonable species to be kept in Canada.
 
One of the best examples I've seen of a zoo that embraces the cold climate it is in is Minnesota Zoo. All of their tropical species are kept entirely indoors, every species kept outdoors is well suited to the local climate. In fact, I find winter visits to Minnesota more enjoyable than summer ones - there's a lot less people and you can still see all of the animals (except the farm animals and the butterflies).
 
@Neil chace Remember that the context of my initial post was that I thought Assiniboine had largely done a great job.

But if we want to get specific: I think it's fair to assume almost all of Winnipeg's zoo animals would require some shelter at certain times of the year. Winnipeg's climate is a near-match for Siberia, thats cold by anyones standards, even Canadians. One wouldn't expect Assiniboine to keep animals that can only survive living outdoors permanently 365 days of the year.

More reasonable would be to aim to keep as diverse a range of species that can spend the most amount of time outside as possible. It's not about if they simply survive there. It's about balancing animal quality of life with maintaining public interest in the collection.

Keeping that in mind:

Neil chace said:
Dromedary camels are not a tropical species and can comfortably live outside year-round even in cold temperatures.
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I would argue that dromedary camels are a tropical species. That said, I only listed them as they are an exception in being one of the few larger tropical animal kept by the zoo. For what its worth, the zoo has just one last few times I've been, the rest are bactrians.

Neil chace said:
To a lesser extent, kangaroos fit this as well- I've seen kangaroos comfortably kept outside down to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder, and as long as Assiniboine has a large enough barn there's nothing wrong with roos in cold climates.
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Kangaroos are a big family. Assiniboine keeps the largest species and one that is evolved for survival in Australia's hot desert interior. There are both smaller and more cold-adapted species that might have a slightly better quality of life in Winnipeg.

Neil chace said:
Gibbons, however, wouldn't be able to be outside year-round, yet are a small species and as long as the holding is decent aren't an unreasonable species to be kept in Canada.
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Whilst by North American standards I'm sure most people would see Assiniboine's indoor gibbon exhibit as generous, for myself its not fair to keep them in there for what must be most of the year. Switching to Japanese macaques would give the primates a much, much wider range of time that can be spent with access to outdoors.

For what it's worth, my other criticisms of the zoo would be that even for the small species, many of the indoor exhibits are too small and lack natural light and substrates. Much of it can be addressed with simple renovations.
 
toothlessjaws said:
Kangaroos are a big family. Assiniboine keeps the largest species and one that is evolved for survival in Australia's hot desert interior. There are both smaller and more cold-adapted species that might have a slightly better quality of life in Winnipeg.
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If you are talking about red kangaroos, this is the same species the zoo I volunteer at keeps. Granted, we are in Massachusetts so a slightly more reasonable climate, but I have seen the kangaroos outside in sub-freezing temperatures with access to their heated barn. I don't know what kind of Exhibit Assiniboine keeps for the roos, but if the barn is at least a few hundred square feet it is an adequate housing for the coldest of days.

toothlessjaws said:
I would argue that dromedary camels are a tropical species. That said, I only listed them as they are an exception in being one of the few larger tropical animal kept by the zoo. For what its worth, the zoo has just one last few times I've been, the rest are bactrians.
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Dromedaries live in the Sahara Desert, which frequently reaches sub-freezing temperatures- especially overnight.

toothlessjaws said:
Whilst by North American standards I'm sure most people would see Assiniboine's indoor gibbon exhibit as generous, for myself its not fair to keep them in there for what must be most of the year. Switching to Japanese macaques would give the primates a much, much wider range of time that can be spent with access to outdoors
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Japanese macaques might be a better choice for this zoo and I am unqualified to judge how large the indoor holdings to an exhibit I've never seen are.
 
birdsandbats said:
One of the best examples I've seen of a zoo that embraces the cold climate it is in is Minnesota Zoo. All of their tropical species are kept entirely indoors, every species kept outdoors is well suited to the local climate. In fact, I find winter visits to Minnesota more enjoyable than summer ones - there's a lot less people and you can still see all of the animals (except the farm animals and the butterflies).
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A great reason to visit! You can literally see practically everything (with a few minor exceptions) all-year round!
 
toothlessjaws said:
@Neil chace Remember that the context of my initial post was that I thought Assiniboine had largely done a great job.

But if we want to get specific: I think it's fair to assume almost all of Winnipeg's zoo animals would require some shelter at certain times of the year. Winnipeg's climate is a near-match for Siberia, thats cold by anyones standards, even Canadians. One wouldn't expect Assiniboine to keep animals that can only survive living outdoors permanently 365 days of the year.

More reasonable would be to aim to keep as diverse a range of species that can spend the most amount of time outside as possible. It's not about if they simply survive there. It's about balancing animal quality of life with maintaining public interest in the collection.

Keeping that in mind:



I would argue that dromedary camels are a tropical species. That said, I only listed them as they are an exception in being one of the few larger tropical animal kept by the zoo. For what its worth, the zoo has just one last few times I've been, the rest are bactrians.



Kangaroos are a big family. Assiniboine keeps the largest species and one that is evolved for survival in Australia's hot desert interior. There are both smaller and more cold-adapted species that might have a slightly better quality of life in Winnipeg.



Whilst by North American standards I'm sure most people would see Assiniboine's indoor gibbon exhibit as generous, for myself its not fair to keep them in there for what must be most of the year. Switching to Japanese macaques would give the primates a much, much wider range of time that can be spent with access to outdoors.

For what it's worth, my other criticisms of the zoo would be that even for the small species, many of the indoor exhibits are too small and lack natural light and substrates. Much of it can be addressed with simple renovations.
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Heavy frosts are common in inland Australia, during winter, and many species here have adapted to a wide range of temperatures, often as high as 35-40 C during the day, to -4 C, or lower, at night. Add wind chill factors to these. Whilst working with animals in UK, in the 1950s and 1960s, I thought that most Australian animals, especially birds, needed to be housed indoors. Only found that was not correct after I had emigrated.
 
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Terry Thomas said:
Heavy frosts are common in inland Australia, during winter, and many species here have adapted to a wide range of temperatures, often as high as 35-40 C during the day, to -4 C, or lower, at night. Add wind chill factors to these. Whilst working with animals in UK, in the 1950s and 1960s, I thought that most Australian animals, especially birds, needed to be housed indoors. Only found that was not correct after I had emigrated.
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Yes, I know. I'm from Melbourne.
 
@Neil chace I'm sorry I don't really feel like engaging in another debate about specific species in cold climates. And I didn't really start one if you go back and read my initial post. I simply stated that Assiniboine had overall done a great job of collating species that worked in their climate and noted that they had few large tropical animals.

However, for the record: I have been to the desert. on camels even. I know it's cold at night. But rest assured the Sahara desert (and much of the assumed range of the ancestor to the domestic dromedary) is in the tropics or subtropics. I stand by my comment that they are a "tropical species".
 
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