In need of an adorable family outing? Winter is a perfect time to visit ZooAmerica!

09
February
2018
|
10:00 AM
America/New_York

Winter Weather Fun at ZooAmerica

Did you know that ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park is open year-round?

In fact, the winter at our 11-acre, walkthrough zoo can actually be the best time to see our more than 200 animals representing more than 60 species from five regions of North America.

Are the animals prepared for the cold temperatures?

All of the outdoor animals experience snow and extreme cold in their native habitats and are used to the cooler weather during the winter months. These animals are truly built for it and they all have layers of fur to keep them warm - including the otters, which have three layers of fur and a fat layer to insulate them! You can even find them swimming year-round in their habitat!

What about snow?

Many of the animals seem to enjoy the snow and can be seen licking it, catching snowflakes and rolling around! The Zookeepers provide enrichment to many of the outdoor animals by building snowmen and they can often be seen running through the snow and trampling over the snowmen. 

Do all animals enjoy the snow?

Even though many of the ZooAmerica animals are outdoors, we do have several animals in the Great Southwest building that do not often see snow in their native habitat. In this case, the Zookeepers actually use snow as a form of enrichment for these species! On snowy days, they will bring in buckets of snow or make snowmen for the mammals and birds.

How cold is too cold?

During extremely cold temperatures (below freezing), the animals always have access to dens or nest boxes. The Zookeepers provide them with straw, heated water bowls and sometimes even portable heaters. During the long stretch of extreme cold in December, many of the animals spent time cuddling up with one another or burrowing in the hay piles.

Visit ZooAmerica every Saturday at 1 PM in February to watch some of our mammal residents enjoy a sweet treat. Each weekend will feature a different animal - Please see below for the schedule.

  • February 3: River Otter
  • February 10: Gray Wolf
  • February 17: Mountain Lion
  • February 24: Black Bear

Check out our calendar of events at ZooAmerica.

Make sure to visit ZooAmerica for a chance to see all of these animals enjoying the season! Seeing these animals playing in the snow will put a smile on your face, just take a look below at these adorable otters!

View Otter in Winter 2
Otter in Winter 2