Summer is in full swing, and temperatures are soaring into the 90s this week. Here’s what Northwest Trek Wildlife Park keepers are doing to help the animals beat the heat.
The river otters, badgers, skunks, and beavers enjoy fruit, goat milk, or popsicles. Many animals also have additional air conditioning or fans in their behind-the-scenes bedrooms.
The wolves have misters around their habitat and a fan in their den, and they also receive whole prey popsicles daily. All the cats, like the lynx, bobcats, and cougar, get goat’s milk popsicles. The black bears and grizzly bears enjoy fish-sicles and splashing in their pools.
Birds such as the American bald eagle, golden eagle, barn owl, and snowy owl are equipped with misters and have plenty of shaded areas to retreat to.
In the 435-acre Free-Roaming area, additional water tubs are strategically positioned throughout the large area and replenished daily. For animals with whom our keepers have built trust, they provide gentle hose-downs, a practice particularly enjoyed by the moose! The moose also relish swimming in Horseshoe Lake, where lucky guests on a Wild Drive or Keeper Adventure Tour might catch them leisurely swimming.
