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comfortable thought the winter. For instance, one of the rocks inside the Tiger Forest is heated to give tigers a warm, dry spot to lie down. Also, the pools in the marine mammal exhibits are temperature regulated for the animals’ comfort.

Most people probably wouldn’t think of flamingos as “winter animals,” but they are perfectly well suited to colder weather. They’ll be outdoors for most of the winter.

The cold temperatures are not the only concerns in the winter months. Slick conditions are also on the forefront of the zoo staff. To keep animals safe, they drain many of the water features in the animal habitats; if the exhibit conditions are too slick, they’ll keep the animals safe and warm indoors.

Throughout the year, the zoo supplements their animals’ diet with trimmings from landscaping throughout the Zoo and Gardens as well as from their greenhouses, this makes it possible for the herbivores to enjoy leafy greens whether they’re indoors or out.

They don’t just have indoor spaces for animals to stay warm in, guests too can enjoy the heat of the indoor spaces — Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center, Oceans, Deserts Dome, and Ascension St. Vincent Dolphin Pavilion — guests and animals can stay warm all winter long in these locations.

And another reason to visit the zoo this winter is the addition of some remarkable new raptors who’ve recently joined their flock. Blaze is a male red-tailed hawk who was rescued as a juvenile because he Elsa, an arctic fox, enjoys the winter season. PHOTO: Carla Knapp

Great Horned Owl in the Flights of Fancy exhibit. PHOTO: Carla Knapp

has limited vision in his left eye, making him unlikely to survive in the wild. Hawks rely on their vision to spot prey while they soar up to 200 feet high in the sky. A hawk with intact vision has eight times better eyesight than a human. As their name suggests, red-tailed hawks are easily distinguished from other hawk species by their rust-colored tail as well as their dark brown wings that span up to 48 inches. Maurice, nicknamed “Mo,” is a male great-horned owl who came from the Tampa Lowry Park Zoo after he too was rescued as a juvenile. Named for the two prominent tufts of feathers on their heads, great-horned owls are adept nocturnal hunters that use their incredible eyesight, near-silent flying, and excellent hearing to sneak up on prey in the dark of night.

Both of these beautiful bird species are native to Indiana, typically nesting in wooded areas bordered by open fields where they like to hunt. You can come get a closer look at Blaze and Maurice in the Flights of Fancy exhibit.