Community Corner

No Monkeying Around in This Heat

Turtle Back Zoo keeps animals, visitors cool

Nothing better than a bloodcicle on a hot day. Just ask any of the cougars at West Orange's Turtle Back Zoo and they'd growl in acceptance.

Dr. Jeremy Goodman, director and veterinarian of the Turtle Back Zoo, said that despite every year having a heat wave, the animals adapt well to the summer's occasional scorches.

"Some actually love the heat, such as our giant tortoise and tropical animals who are used to this heat," he said.

Find out what's happening in West Orangewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Others that aren't quite accustomed, though, fall in the realm of the zoo's animal keepers, who are attentive to cooling them down.

"For our carnivorous animals, we will freeze ice blocks and put blood in them so it has a good taste that they'll lick out the ice and cool down," he said.

Find out what's happening in West Orangewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Vanessa Ply, 21, of Cranford, is one of those keepers. Ply is finishing school to become a zoologist and feeds the zoo's cougars bloodcicles as an enrichment item. She said she gives the animals the cool desserts as a treat.

"When it's very hot like it has been in the past few days, we give this to them to cool down," she said. "I've always loved animals ... this is a way I can get involved with them — even on a hot day."

Bonnie Sippie, 44, of Nutley, a keeper at the zoo who's in charge of hoofstock, said the bison and elk love the frozen snacks.

"We feed them three times a week with sweet potato, apples and carrots in an ice block," she said.

Nicola Procino, 22, of Boonton Township, an intern at the zoo, mixes the batch of frozen treats for some of the zoo's hoofstock.

"I enjoy helping them keep cool," she said. "We all pitch in and cut up (the vegetables) and then just freeze it ... it's simple."

Goodman said the zoo also is attentive to using mists and other traditional cooling methods to help animals. He said the ice blocks help stimulate the animals' brain, as well as help them receive a snack.

"Keepers will mist down birds with an artificial rain shower ... we will freeze fruit for the bears, too," he said. "It doesn't necessarily keep them cool, but one of the other things we work with keepers to do is enriching the animals. So, when you freeze fruit into a block of ice, the animals ... have to work at it and play with it ... so it stimulates them."

Goodman said, though, that with the 700-plus animals at the zoo, the percentage that actually need cooled is minimal.

"People think that the penguins are the worst in danger of the heat, but we have African Black Footed penguins from South Africa, so they are so use to this heat ... they can't stand the intense cold," he said.

One animal, however, that requires constant attention in the hot weather is the Red Panda.

"Its need is critical and that's why there is an air conditioned shelter," said Goodman. "But that's an exception to the rule, as most animals just need some shade to get out of it (the heat) and they're OK."

Goodman said the zoo also tries to keep its visitors comfortable during warm weather.

"There's misting stations throughout the zoo to cool down and we also installed some jumping fountains last year and aim them onto the visitor path," he said. "You see kids enjoying getting soaked with those and, with every typical zoo, we have Italian ice stations out to cool down that way."

Joshua Inzelbuch, 62, of Lakewood, who brought his grandson to the zoo, said the weather has been great for a visit.

"He loves it here," he said. "We come here almost weekly."

Emily Rosenbaum, 36, said she's also a frequent visitor, but not on hot days.

"I think there's a certain level on innocence lost with kids," she said. "They all have Wiis and what not and then you come here and there's no Mario, but it's about peacocks and the stuff you want your kids to be interested in."

Goodman said, though, that people have to remember that the animals at the zoo are wild animals.

"There's no air conditioner out in the wild," he said.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here