Fish popsicles and A.C.: How the Edmonton Valley Zoo animals handle the weather

Otters in the shade at the Edmonton Valley Zoo on July 15, 2026. (Amanda Anderson/CTV News Edmonton)

Edmonton’s rain has been broken by some fairly hot temperatures, meaning the river valley zoo’s more than 100 animal residents have been regulating some weird weather.

The Edmonton Valley Zoo is combatting summer temperatures with strong air conditioning inside shelters for animals like the red panda.

“All our animals’ enclosures have a shelter of some form,” zoo events coordinator Amanda Bryce said on Wednesday.

“If you come to the zoo, you may have to look inside their windows to get a chance to see them.”

The zoo’s reindeer and the Sichuan takin, otherwise considered “hardy” animals, spend time outside in a shaded area the zoo set up for them. Sometimes they even get a popsicle.

“We like to make little ice fish popsicles for our otters. We like to make bamboo popsicles for our red pandas,” Bryce added.

On particularly hot days, zookeepers will blast a cool, light mist inside enclosures to cool down land animals without getting them soaking wet.

While the river valley zoo tends to house cold-weather animals given Edmonton’s climate, some of the tropical-area residents are loving the sun.

“Our meerkats and our Serval cat are both from Africa, and you are more likely to see our meerkats laying out in the sun. Sometimes they’ve got their bellies out,” Bryce said.

During rain, Bryce says the animals tend to shelter themselves.

“Most of them are pretty self-aware. They head in on their own. We don’t lock them in … We make sure that everyone has a space to take cover in the event of a storm or when it’s raining.”

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Amanda Anderson