TAMPA, Fla. — As the summer heat takes over the Tampa Bay area, the staff at ZooTampa at Lowry Park are finding ways to keep its animals cool amid the blazing temperatures.
Animal care professionals at the zoo added cooling activities to the animals' daily behavioral-based enrichment program.
According to zoo leaders, the enrichment time helps stimulate each animal physically and mentally offering the opportunity to "engage in species-appropriate behavior within a dynamic environment."
In the summer months, animals can be seen having water playtime or sticking their faces into buckets of ice. The zoo's nutrition center is busy creating frozen treats and activities that give animals a refreshing welcome.
"[Enrichment] is a way for [animals] to explore their environment, to smell and see new things and really stimulate their brain also while seeing those natural behaviors," Tiffany Burns, the senior director of animal programs at ZooTampa, explained.
Some other things added to the summer routine include sprinklers, pools, mud wallows and daytime access to air-conditioned night houses.
From barrels to boxes to boomer balls and puzzle feeders, zoo-goers can see many different species interacting with numerous enrichment items throughout the year.
"Sometimes enrichment encourages animals to traverse their habitats in new ways, perhaps exploring newly added logs or branches," zoo leaders explain in the release.
A heat advisory was issued Wednesday by the National Weather Service for most of the Tampa Bay area. The advisory will be in place from noon to 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
Heat index values could get up to 109 degrees at times, the NWS said. With heat and humidity this high, some people who are more vulnerable could be at risk for heat illness.
Highs are expected to reach record levels Friday and this weekend. As for rain, drier air aloft with a hot dome of high pressure cuts down rain chances for the next few days. A westerly flow will keep most of the best rain chances well inland.
Later this week, highs are expected to be in the mid to upper 90s with heat index values over 105 degrees at times due to the humidity.
10 Tampa Bay's Natalie Ferrari and Jordan Highsmith contributed to this report.
