SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – Dickerson Park Zoo staff are preparing to keep animals cool as high temperatures push back into the 90s, with feels-like temperatures expected to approach or exceed 100° early next week.
Zookeeper Tia Flippin said the measures are tried and true, though they vary by species.
Fans, misters and indoor access
“A lot of our animals will have fans in their yard. They’ll have fans in their building,” Flippin said. “With extreme heat, we’re actually going to let them have access to their buildings throughout the day just because if I don’t want to be outside, they probably don’t want to be outside.”
Flippin said misters will be placed on timers to avoid oversaturating the ground. “A lot of our misters actually are going to be on timers so that they’re not running all day and they’re not getting the ground super wet,” she said. “The wet ground does tend to bring more flies in, which is something that we run into with misters.”
Indoor viewing available for visitors
Flippin said indoor viewing is also an option for visitors looking to see the animals while avoiding the heat…