The lazy days of summer have arrived for animals at the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo. The animals want to beat the heat just like all of us humans do.
For some, like the bears, that can mean taking a dip in their pool. Others just choose to stay inside where it’s cooler. That means they may not come out as often for humans to view, says Zoo Supervisor and Curator Ashley Burdick.
The best time of day to catch animals outside is in the morning.
The zookeepers also look for other ways to help keep the animals cool when the temperature rises, she said. “Some of the ways we do that are: ice treats, piles of ice, frozen snacks, sprinklers/misters, playing in the hose, pools, fans — and some animals even have air conditioning.
“With the hot weather, we also have to deal with flies,” she said. To help decrease fly bites on the animals, the keepers have trained many of the animals to allow humans to apply fly spray to them.
“If they don’t like fly spray, we spray their rocks and they can rub in it on their own,” she said. “We also have fly mister systems set up on the animal exhibits that attract the most flies.”
New beetles
The newest animals at the zoo are bugs — blue death feigning beetles that are in the Raptor Center exhibit area. The Raptor Center is also a place indoors where humans can stay nice and cool while visiting the zoo.
According to the Cincinnati Zoo, the blue coloring of these desert-dwelling insects comes from the wax they secrete to create a protective shield against dehydration and overheating. And, true to their name, when threatened, the blue death feigning beetle rolls over on its back and plays dead. Their natural habitat is the Southwestern United States, where they live up to 8 years on a diet of rotting plants and seeds.
July program
Saturday, July 16, is World Snake Day and the zoo will celebrate with a snake meet and greet from 1:30-2 p.m. in the Raptor Center. Zoo summer camp for preschoolers, a day camp offered by the Great Bend Recreation Commission for ages 4-5, runs July 11-14 and the class is almost full. A camp for ages 6-10 that runs July 18-21 is full but people can sign up for the waiting list. Visit the GBRC website greatbendrec.com or call 620-793-3755.
In other news, the zoo has ordered new playground equipment and hopes to have that installed in September.
