LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Being out in the heat can be dangerous if you aren't careful, which is why the Little Rock Zoo is making some changes to help keep their animals and visitors safe.
"The more that you're out in it, the longer that you're out in it, it builds up that heat exhaustion, it can hit you hard, it can hit you fast," Little Rock Zoo Director, Susan Altrui said.
That's why the Little Rock Zoo decided to change its hours.
"We made that decision to close early and to open early," Altrui said.
According to Altrui, being open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. will benefit everyone— including the staff, visitors, and animals.
"We do see a lot more foot traffic around that 9 a.m., 10 a.m. time naturally, just because it's a little cooler then, so we're hoping that maybe by opening at 8 a.m., we might see even more foot traffic," she said.
Even in the extreme heat, the elephants are staying active. Their zookeeper said they have lots of water to keep cool.
"We keep sprinklers running, they have a pool. They also have a wall that we fill every day with cold water. So they like to splash the cold mud on themselves," Elephant Manager Kristin Grove said.
Grove also said all of the animals can cool off indoors too.
"So that may be why some of the guests don't always see them. Because they may just be taking a little break out of the heat," she said.
She said most of the zoo animals can handle the hot temperatures.
"We don't have polar bears or anything like that, like anything that lives in super cold temperatures. We don't really have any of those animals and kind of for that reason, it's just we don't have the climate for them," she said.
The animals aren't the only ones enjoying the new hours.
"It's a lot more comfortable for us to work in the mornings and kind of get our heavy working stuff done. So we kind of like it too," she said.
The director said they don't know how long they'll keep the new hours, but they'll watch the forecast and take it one day at a time.
You can find more updates on the Little Rock Zoo's Facebook page.