How the Buffalo Zoo prepares for Western New York winters

With almost all the autumn leaves now on the ground and snow and cold temperatures on the horizon, the Buffalo Zoo is joining all of Western New York in preparing for winter!

Just like elsewhere, blowing leaves and salted paths are a common sight this time of year at the Zoo — but you’ll also see our grounds and animal care teams hard at work to ensure both our campus and animals are properly attended to.

So what goes into getting the Zoo ready for winter?

On the animal side of things, one of the key components is carefully monitoring the weather.

Certain species that call the Buffalo Zoo home are unable to be outside on exhibit when it gets too chilly due to potential adverse effects from the cold. For example, our patas monkey troop is unable to be outside when temperatures dip below 50 degrees, while our rhinos have to stay inside when it gets to 40 degrees or lower.

On snowy or rainy days, all outdoor animals are given access to their behind the scenes space, allowing them to decide which climatic conditions they’re comfortable with.

The Buffalo Zoo is a four-season zoo after all, and that means that vast majority of our animals can still be found out on exhibit during the winter. Residents like our polar bears, bison, lions, tigers and plenty more can still be seen regularly when the temperatures dip, and with that means keeping their habitats in the best shape possible.

Keepers will regularly check exhibits to ensure they are not overly icy or snowy, and clean things up as needed during the winter. For animals like snow leopards and red pandas that love the wintry conditions, a heated rock is set up in their habitats to give them a consistent spot to warm up, if needed.

As for our grounds team, winter prep begins with sprucing up zoo grounds with the proper decor and equipment, from snow stakes to salt bins and plenty more — but there’s also the remarkable amount of fallen autumn leaves strewn across our 23.5 acre campus.

All those leaves (enough to fill six dumpsters), in addition to old decor like straw and hay bales, are composted down and used as plant bed preparation for the following spring.

Plants have evolved over millions of years to grow in their own debris, and that same debris can help benefit tiny invertebrates and bugs as well. So by composting our own leaves, it not only saves on purchasing store-bought compost as well as the fossil fuels burned in getting it here, but allows for a natural ecosystem cycle to stay in tact.

For snow, our grounds team is quick to act if an overnight flurry blankets our campus.

Efficient planning gets everyone where they need to go with the proper equipment, and the clearing and salting of walkways gets underway quickly. By the time we open our gates at 10 a.m., their hard work allows guests to easily see one of the Buffalo Zoo’s best attractions: our animals playing in their winter wonderlands.

In addition to animals enjoying the snow, there’s plenty of indoor attractions like our Giraffe House, M&T Bank Rainforest Falls or gorilla habitat that make a winter visit to the Buffalo Zoo all the more awe-inspiring. We hope to see soon! Get tickets here.