Cool Treats and Splashy Feats
Rediscover Your Houston Zoo this Summer Season
As Houston’s temperatures rise, the animals at the Houston Zoo are cooling down with the help of innovative enrichment created by their dedicated care teams. This summer, rediscover the sights and sounds of your Houston Zoo as animals seek refreshing activities. Guests can also stay cool by taking a stroll through the air-conditioned exhibits like Galápagos Islands, Great Ape Gallery, and the Reptile and Amphibian House.
To keep animals cool during the heat, the Zoo’s world-class animal care teams come up with refreshing activities that encourage natural behaviors of animals to keep their minds and bodies engaged. Ravioli, the North American river otter, enjoys racing from corner to corner in his habitat’s pool and foraging for fish through ice enrichment. Otters are very active and require regular movement to stay healthy. Quick swimming strengthens their muscles, supports their health, and allows for full body exercise. The Asian elephants in the McNair Asian Elephant bull yard take a dive in their ten-foot-deep oasis. Elephants can either be fully submerged or use their trunks to spray water over their bodies, cooling off their massive frames from the summer sun.
In South American’s Pantanal jaguar cub, Rojo, adapts to his first summer season with a splash in the habitat’s stream or taking a bite out of his first icy treat. A frozen treat is more than just a cute summer snack for a jaguar cub like Rojo. Frozen treats engage a jaguar’s sense of smell, taste, and touch, all of which are skills needed to help him become a confident and independent jaguar. Across the jaguar’s habitat, Olive, the giant anteater embraces a chilly waterfall to cool down from the high temperatures. Carefully sprayed by keepers, the water soothes Olive’s long snout and dense fur, offering a welcome break from the Houston heat.
These moments may look fun, but they serve a greater purpose. Each activity is a form of enrichment, a critical part of how Houston Zoo cares for the physical and mental health of all animals in its care. These enrichment activities are carefully designed to keep the animals stimulated during the challenging summer months. Summer enrichment allows animals to exercise their natural behaviors and helps strengthen their innate instincts.
Guests who rediscover their Houston Zoo this summer are helping to save animals in the wild. A portion of each Zoo membership and admission supports the Zoo’s 34 wildlife saving partners in 19 countries around the world.
