As winter sets in, the annual inversions that blanket the Salt Lake Valley bring along toxic pollutants trapped in a haze of cold fog. And the humans of Utah aren’t the only locals enduring these conditions. 

Wildlife and animals in outdoor spaces at Salt Lake County zoos, aquariums and aviaries also contend with the effects of a changing climate and bad air, experts say.

Global climate change has caused turmoil to ecosystems, food chains, seasonal migrations and habitats, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Animals at Utah’s Hogle Zoo, too, are experiencing an ever-changing habitat and lifestyle, as educators and zookeepers adapt the enclosures and living spaces to the changing climate. 

With Utah’s unpredictable heat waves, less snow and increasingly frequent bad air quality each year, employees at Hogle Zoo are focused on keeping the animals safe and healthy while adapting to environmental changes that affect each species’ habitats and needs, said Hayley Parkinson, the zoo’s onsite engagement coordinator.

“Our zoo’s mission is to help these animals in their natural homes,” Parkinson said. “Climate change is something that impacts every habitat on the planet, so it’s definitely something that is a concern for all of the animals.”

Parkinson works with programs like the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change, Polar Bears International and the Climate Alliance Program, all of which strive to create more conversation about climate change using solution-based ideas for educators and encouraging community-based learning. 

“[The goal] is to expand the zoo staff’s knowledge of climate change for the animals and the community,” she said. 

Parkinson said climate change has become a polarizing and often political topic, adding she struggled to figure out the best approach in talking to diverse zoo-going audiences about its impact on the animals at Hogle and in the wild.  

“[I] never heard anyone talk about climate change, only argue about climate change,” she said. 

The zoo, Parkinson said, intends to break down the conversation of climate change in a simplified manner for the public, using the information about ecosystems and the animals to educate. 

“I want them to understand why the sea ice is important to the polar bear, and then I want them to understand the system that’s affecting it,” said Parkinson. 

One of the zoo’s partners, Polar Bears International, uses education and outreach, research and advocacy to reduce the impacts of climate change, said Marissa Krouse, the group’s director of conservation programs. 

Krouse helps develop and communicate the organization’s values and emphasizes the importance of sharing knowledge and the power of local education. 

“Now more than ever, local community action is critically important, especially in the absence of federal action,” she said. 

Extremes

While the weather in Utah can span both hot and cold temperatures, Parkinson said the zoo must consider each animal’s natural habitat, including how weather affects its health and behaviors.

“Gorillas have a temperature limit of about 50 degrees, meaning that if it’s colder than that, they have access inside,” said Parkinson. “They can choose to be outdoors or indoors.” 

Although the weather may differ from the usual environment of the animal, the zoo includes built-in habitats meant to adjust the animals’ natural setting, using devices like heaters, misters, saltwater pools and climate-controlled spaces. 

“As we see trends continue to change with warming, [we need to] make sure they’re still comfortable,” said Parkinson. 

While the image of polar bears amid melting ice commonly represents a warming earth, Parkinson said the zoo’s grizzlies are also affected by climate change locally. The zoo’s bears, raised in the wild, came to Hogle because their mother often led them into human spaces looking for food. Their comfort around people, Parkinson said, made the wild a dangerous place for both the bears and humans. Living this way can affect the bears’ diet, nutrition and the territory they end up defending.

Austin Green, ecologist and conservation biologist at the Utah-based Sageland Collaborative, said the organization conducts science in service of wildlife and wildland, to affect change for both people and wildlife for good on the landscape.  

Green runs Wildlife Watch, a camera tracking project that investigates the effects humans have on local environmental changes, and how it alters wildlife behavior, species and their interactions. 

“There’s a high likelihood that a changing climate is going to affect an animal’s ability to adapt as climates get warmer and drier it becomes harder for mammals to adapt to urban development,” Green said.

Environmental Impacts

While the effects of climate change on bigger animals, like bears, are more noticeable, even smaller creatures, like the Pine Bark Beetle, can be affected, Parkinson said. 

While the insect, native to Dixie and Manti La Sal national forests in Utah, usually dies off in colder seasons, warmer winters have extended its life cycles and doubled its population, she said. The beetles, one of the most prevalent in Utah, typically feed on pine trees, which can create dead, dried-up bark and make forests more susceptible to fires. 

Larger, systemic problems, Parkinson said, show ties among animals at the zoo, in the wild and how they connect to the larger environment inhabited by humans. 

“[We try to] cushion our animals here at the zoo from impacts of climate change,” Parkinson said, “but, hopefully, the animals … can help us tell the story of those in the wild, the issues there, and then get people on board with fixing it.”

This article was published from the University of Utah’s COMM 4555 class.