Winter Wonderland, Zoo-Style

As a zookeeper in upstate-New York, one of the most common questions I get asked is, "do you get many visitors in the winter?" The Binghamton Zoo is actually closed all winter for two reasons: the hill the zoo is built on is icy and treacherous, and many of the animals are not visible to the public in the winter. After saying this, the response I get (without fail) is, "it must be so nice to have the whole winter off!"

August the arctic fox. He is almost smiling!
(Photo courtesy of the Binghamton Zoo)

What? No. The visitors aren't at the zoo, but the animals still are! Many of the animals can handle the frigid Binghamton winters, like the Amur tigers and leopard, the arctic fox, river otters, and the snowy owls. These animals are outside all winter long and are actually much happier than they are in the summer.

Ronde, the African penguin, enjoys
enrichment in the snow before he
waddles hurriedly back inside

The warm-weather animals get pampered, like the Andean bears, the lemurs, the wallabies, and the African black-footed penguins. Yes, you read that right. Not all penguins like the snow and ice. Animals like these remain indoors most of the winter in heated buildings, so they are not visible to the public. Some of these animals even get additional heat lamps and big beds of hay to keep them extra warm. On warm(er) winter days, we will let the Andean bears or African penguins venture outside for a couple hours, but most of the time, they see the snow and high-tail it back inside.

One of the Amur "kitties" enjoys the snow!
(Photo courtesy of the Binghamton Zoo)

During the winter, my job doesn't change. I still clean up after the animals, prep diets, help with vet rounds, maintain exhibits, and design enrichment. Year-round, I am a baby-sitter, doctor, mediator, psychologist, chef, and janitor for all the animals in the zoo. I just shovel a lot more snow in the winter.