We don't know how to drive on icy roads or in snow,' said Garza Galvan. Director of marketing Cynthia Garza Galvan said only the animal care staff were required to come to work and the rest of the staff worked remotely. Like the zoo, they were dealing with the blackout, lack of heat, and some didn't water. The storm did more than affect the animals, employees were also hit hard by the storm. 'They know exactly what to do with a blanket.' 'There were a lot of caped crusaders running around,' she said. Adams said dozens upon dozens of blankets were given to the apes and they wrapped themselves up. The Great Apes - gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans - don't like the cold and, just like people, they like to bundle up. Not all of the animals are in danger because of the weather, but other precautions needed to be made to keep them warm. It looks like a parking lot inside of there,' Adams said. Adams said approximately 60 tortoises are now in the herpetarium, and they will stay there until the temperatures stabilize. Dozens of tortoises live in outside habitats and all of them were moved into the reptile house. One of the largest animal moves at the zoo involved its tortoise population.

Gladys Porter Staff move animals from original habitat to a warm building/Courtesy Gladys Porter Zoo When the power would come on, the animals would be brought to their original habitats to eat, but when the power went off, they would again be packed up and taken to the clinic, where they would stay overnight. Animal care staff at Gladys Porter wrapped the mammals up in blankets, put them in crates, and hauled them over to the animal health clinic. The scaly anteaters are originally from Africa and twenty-degree temperatures are not something they can handle. The power outage meant animals that aren't cold tolerant needed to be moved right away.įirst up was the five pangolins. The zoo has three generators: one operates the aquarium along with the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) for the herpetarium, one for the animal health facility where surgeries take place, and onre at the commissary which houses up to 2,000 lbs. We never faced anything like this before.' said Colette Adams, deputy director of the zoo.

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