Winter Zoo attendance increased by over 200 people during the first part of this year. This is a pleasant surprise for a Zoo whose winter is typically slower than the other seasons due to the cold weather, officials said.
The increase in attendance might be due in part to the mild winter weather but also in part to the fact that many of the Zoo’s animals tend to be more interactive when not confronted with large crowds and 100+ degrees heat.
Zoo Executive Director Darde Long notes how, “in the spring and summer, with thousands of people coming through each day, the animals can start to tune out all the visitors but in the winter, the occasional visitors become more of a novelty and thing of interest to the animals.”
Some of the Zoo’s animals, for instance snow leopards, originate from colder climates and thus prefer the brisk winter air to the hot summers. In the winter months zoo guests can often catch many of the large animals frolicking and playing in their exhibit and paying attention to their visitors.
Check out snow leopard cub Maliha as she plays in the winter snow with mother, Kasimir, at http://vimeo.com/58911991.