zooatlanta
February 17, 2026
Hello everyone! I’m Kaileen Anich, a member of the Ambassador Animals Team and one of the primary care team members in the Outback Station area. With all this wild weather we have gotten over the past couple weeks, one of the questions that I’ve been asked quite frequently by guests is “How do you keep all the animals warm in this cold?” A great question, and while the answer varies from one area to the next considering all the species that call Zoo Atlanta home, let me cover just a few.
Temperature guidelines: From big to small, all of the animals in our care have them. They are created based on the natural history of each species and are followed very strictly to ensure that we provide the best welfare for the animals. Often there are stages, a range where they are good to be on habitat, one where they can still be out but may have access to an indoor space (that way they have a choice of where they want to spend their time or if they feel too cold or not), and one where it is simply too cold for that animal to safely go outside. The care teams monitor the temperatures closely and when those “feels like” temperature reach those ranges, we plan our days accordingly.
Bring the heat! That’s right, when those temps get down low enough, we have a wide variety of ways to make sure the animals stay warm. In our area, heat bulbs are a common way we can provide localized warmth to our animals on habitat, giving them respite from the chill in the air. With bedding, we are sure to make the bedding spaces for everyone nice and thick so that at the end of the day they have plenty to nestle down in and stay warm through the night. Lastly heaters. Whether it is simply the climate control in the building, radiating heaters, or simply a space heater for that extra bit of warmth, we make sure that their indoor spaces are properly, and more importantly, safely, heated while we think of the spring to come.
Of course, I couldn’t leave without mentioning one of the more unique ways we keep some of our animals warm down at the contact yard: COATS! That’s right, you may have spotted them on a few of our goats out in the yard or glimpsed it on the news, but we have coats for all of our goats in the contact yard. Some members of our herd have them put on once it reaches a certain “feels like” temperature, but for most, they’re pretty good about showing us when they’re feeling the chill. Just like us when we’re cold, they may stand in one place hunched up; they are at their fluffiest as their fur raises to try and trap in all the body heat they can. We watch for these signs and don’t hesitate to grab a coat, and maybe an extra hand, to make sure they can get back to eating and soaking up the attention from the guests who have come and braved the weather.
I know I’ve only scratched the surface of what we do to ensure the animals in our care are safe and warm through the wild and crazy Georgia winters. From monitoring temperature guidelines, to managing the heat, to finding unique ways to fight off the cold, our work is never done. But hey, spring is around the corner! So stay warm, stay safe, and thank you for reading!
Kaileen A.
Keeper I, Ambassador Animals
(photo: Becky Y.)
