Few zoo animals brave the cold

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The deep freeze has turned Albuquerque's zoo into a cold, barren tundra.

A few of the animals love the cold, but most can't take it and have been moved inside to stay warm. Humans aren't in sight either.

Zoo officials say attendance usually drops off in the winter, but this freezing weather has turned the zoo into a ghost town.

When asked if he liked the cold, one of the zoo's mountain lions roared loudly. KRQE News 13 will take that answer as a yes, but the mountain lion's in the minority.

"Our pond here is just about frozen over, waterfalls are freezing up, so there's not many animals our right now because it's cold," explained Zoo Manager Lynn Tupa.

She said for safety reasons may of the animals have to take shelter inside when it's cold.

Tuesday there were no lions, no tigers and no people at the Albuquerque BioPark Zoo.

The flamingos are one of the first creatures moved inside. Outside their exhibit is a wind-chilled wetland, so they're being housed inside a 70 degree tropical room with nice warm water instead.

The gorillas are saying warm inside, too.  So are the giraffes, and there will be no playing for Rosie the elephant or her baby Daisy outside. Even their favorite tire is frozen solid in their watering hole.

The seals and sea lions didn't seem to mind the chill, and the polar bears were loving it!  Both of them enjoyed a nice break from the desert heat.

Snow leopards are loving the cold too, and so are the kangaroos. Their babies, though, are keeping warm inside their mom's pouches.

Zoo officials are hoping warmer winter weather will help increase attendance. They're also offering another incentive, half price tickets this coming weekend .

The zoo's newest addition, Chopper the baby rhino, is definitely staying inside. He's just 11 weeks old but already up to 385 pounds at his last weigh in.