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Akron Zoo Preps for Cold Temperatures

MARK AREHART
/
WKSU

As temperatures plummet below zero throughout the region, many will try and keep warm inside at home or work. But what about the animals at the Akron Zoo?

Penguins, snow leopards, grizzly bears and other zoo animals which are from cold habitats shouldn’t be negatively affected by the cold front that’s being blamed on a polar vortex. But Wild Animal Keeper Aareon Payne said in each enclosure, the animals have the option to warm up.

"So if they do get a little bit chilly they can come inside. Otherwise we supplement that with like straw or barrels, anything they can kind of hide in. We also have heated rocks for some animals that are on exhibit."

She said there are several warm-climate animals, like macaws, that will not grace the outdoors during this cold snap.

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Mark has been a host, reporter and producer at several NPR member stations in Delaware, Alaska, Washington and Kansas. His reporting has taken him everywhere from remote islands in the Bering Sea to the tops of skyscrapers overlooking Puget Sound. He is a diehard college basketball fan who enjoys taking walks with his dog, Otis.