At the Potter Park Zoo, 1301 S. Pennsylvania Ave., in Lansing, animals are adjusting to freezing temperatures with a little help from natural adaptations and a plethora of zookeepers.

Keeping more than 30 species of domestic and exotic animals is a demanding task, zookeepers said, with snow and ice making things a bit more interesting.

Bring on the heat

Starting in October, Potter Park zookeepers prepare pens with an arsenal of heating tools for warding off the cold.

“By that time, or mid-November like this year, since the cold came a little late, we start moving all the animals that need to be kept from the cold,” said Tara Harrison, the Potter Park curator and veterinarian. “The animals stay here year-round and usually stay indoors until about May.”

Many of the African animals, like Spike and Ebony, and all of the cold-blood animals, can’t go outside when temperatures drop below freezing, so they’re kept in insulated pens.

While the rhinos have an opportunity to venture outdoors during mild winter weather, reptiles must be kept indoors.

“Cold-blooded animals can’t be left out because they don’t seek heat,” zookeeper Jan Brigham said. “They’re out in the summertime, but we take them in for the duration of winter.”

Some species of birds, such as the zoo’s 50-year-old king vulture, also have to be kept indoors because they could develop frostbite on their feet, Brigham said.

The pens at Potter Park are reinforced with insulation, overhead heating and heat mats. Heat mats, which are placed under the area the animals lay on, are the zoo’s most common way to keep shivering critters warm.

Kangaroos live with luxuries such as heat mats, overhead heating, insulated walls and large plastic flaps that border the pen’s doors.

The zookeepers try not to keep the pens exceedingly warm, however, because it can be hard for the animals to transition from 23-degree weather to an 80-degree pen, Brigham said.

Animals that live in aquatic habitats are provided with heated water similar to an outdoor spa. North American river otters, for example, can be seen sliding down snowy slopes on their bellies into the heated pools.

Most animals are alsow given extra food portions and bedding in order to promote fat development for insulation.

Besides the few species that must stay indoors, the rest of the animals can alternate between indoor and outdoor areas.

“Even if they’re used to it, we don’t force animals to be out in the exhibit during winter time,” Brigham said. “Our lioness doesn’t like the cold, so she stays inside, but we still give her the option.”

Between feeding, cleaning and making sure all the pens are heated appropriately, the zookeepers have a full workload during the winter.

“It’s an eight-hour job constantly monitoring the animals,” zookeeper Mark Marquardt said.Fighting the freeze

The animals at the Potter Park Zoo were selected for their ability to adapt to extreme weather.

Even animals known for living in warm climates have adapted to the severe drops in temperature, Harrison said.

“The rhinos like to play in the snow, even though they’re African,” she said. “Most animals are born in captivity, and this is the only weather they know.”

Although rhinos have adapted to Michigan’s climate, zookeepers make sure they don’t wander outside when it’s too icy.

“(They) can’t go out when it’s slippery, along with giraffes, because they could fall and be injured,” Harrison said. “We do have animals that slip, and you can’t exactly pick up a rhino.”

When Spike and Ebony are forced indoors due to icy conditions, zookeepers make sure to provide them with enough entertainment for the large animals to keep them active.

“Sometimes they get anxious being inside, so we try to give them enrichment,” Marquardt said. “Enrichment is the equivalent to giving a dog a chew toy — just something to make sure they stay fit.”

Several species at the zoo are used to biting temperatures. Shandi, a red panda hailing from China, doesn’t need much heat to cope with Lansing winters.

“The reason her pen is kept warm, really, is to keep her water from freezing,” Brigham said.

Shandi has adapted to cold weather so that the pads of her feet are covered in fur to help with walking on snow and ice.

The zoo’s tigers are often found prowling around their exhibit’s snowy enclosure or rolling on their backs, making “tiger snow angels” for visitors.

Because there are fewer animals visible once snow starts falling, admission to the park is free in the winter.

“The people have to adapt to cold, too,” Brigham said. “Animals do much better with cold weather than humans do.”