NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Just about every major Nashville institution has announced what they're doing over the weekend. A lot of them are going to be closed. The Nashville Zoo will be closed Saturday and Sunday too, but there's a lot of work to do to take care of so many.
"This over here is Roza," said Brittany Canfield of the Nashville Zoo, looking out the window of an exhibit. "She is one of the Amur leopards. Hi lady! She's a cat. She can't be bothered."
Canfield is the primate supervisor at the Nashville Zoo. While she doesn't work with Roza, Roza's on the walk to work each day.
"A lot of times, animals get excited when they see staff members," Canfield smiled. "Amur leopards are originally from parts of Russia where they experience colder weather, so days like today, she's really enjoying herself."
Of course, we're expecting more than just cold weather. Canfield explained being prepared for major winter weather events is just a part of what the Nashville Zoo does.
For animals that are not accustomed to winter conditions, each area has an indoor space for them to go.
"All the animals are trained to do what we call in the zoo world 'shift'," Canfield explained. "We're asking them to come inside. We have a pretty thorough training program here."
The shift is often a sound cue, though that changes depending on the animal. Some of them go inside from the sound of a cowbell. With others, it could be as simple as a keeper's voice.
"We use positive reinforcement to train those behaviors," Canfield said. "We're always monitoring those building temperatures. We give extra bedding and heat sources to the animals."
In preparation for any possible power outages, the crew has been testing generators and space heaters. A team will be staying on-site overnights through the weekend to monitor the animals and the weather conditions.
Roza, for example, may be accustomed to cold, but her situation over the next few days will depend on how much ice we get.
"Ice can be really dangerous for our animals," Canfield said. "If our exhibits are super icy, we may have to keep them indoors to prevent any hazards, injuries, things like that."
Canfield said that's just part of the job, making sure a good friend she sees on the way to work each day will be just fine.
"She's like, 'I'm going to take a nap now!'" Canfield said, looking out at Roza.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
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