With record-breaking heat, zoos are finding ways to keep their animals cool

Zoos across the country are taking several steps to help animals beat the heat this summer.

Eric Gay / Eric Gay

As wide swaths of the U.S. deal with extreme heat this summer, zoos across the country are taking various steps to mitigate its impact on their animals.

“Days when it’s 99 degrees, it makes our job challenging for these animals that are used to living in cold environments to kind of keep them cool,” Pete Costello, assistant curator of Zoo New England’s Stone Zoo, told NPR.

The zoo is about 12 miles north of Boston, where record-breaking heat is scorching the city. Already on the second heat wave of the summer, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu declared a heat emergency earlier this week until Sunday.