Zookeepers protect animals from cold conditions

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Cold weather presents a special challenge at the Indianapolis Zoo.

While the number of visitors drops significantly, special care has to be taken to make sure the animals are safe. Those that can’t take the snow, ice and frigid wind chills are kept inside.

Other animals, like walrus and tigers, are well suited for this weather. So they stay ouside. But they still have a warmer option that you don’t see.

“In our tiger exhibit we have a heated rock, where tigers can choose if they want to lay down. Take a warm catnap if they like. Or you’ll still see them roamin’ around and playing in the snow,” Carla Knapp with the Indianapolis Zoo said.

The water in the sea lion and walrus exhibits is temperature controlled.

While there aren’t many visitors on days like Wednesday, the zoo set an attendance record in 2014. Nearly 1.3 million people visited the zoo last year.