Many zoos and aquariums in the Northeast remain closed today due to Winter Storm Juno, but zookeepers are working around the clock behind the scenes to help ensure the safety of their animals.
Some zookeepers are even camping out in unusual locations in order to remain on site.
For example, at Franklin Park Zoo, in Boston, a city strongly impacted by Juno, a handful of zookeepers slept on cots overnight and have been staying in the zoo's education center. Assistant Curator Jeannine Jackle, who works with the zoo's "tropical forest"-themed animals, told NBC News that she has stocked up on food, water, and flashlight batteries.
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Jackle explained that the zookeepers need to feed the animals, check on the ducks that live outside, and fire up generators to keep the animals, birds, and tropical plants warm if the power goes out.
As for the ducks, swans, and other animals that remain outside, Lisa Zidek Sullivan, from Franklin Park's Children's Zoo, told the Boston Herald that such animals "all have good fat layers."
When interviewed, Sullivan was in the process of preparing the overnight team, which was checking on its supplies of sea duck pellets, extra bedding, and generators.
The tropical species, of course, hate the cold temperatures. The zoo's giraffes - Beau, Jana, and 3-month-old Kali - have been waiting the storm out in their cozy barns, which are kept heated at 80 degrees F.
Even though not all animals need such high temperatures, most animals at this and other zoos across the Northeast are being kept indoors during the storm and zoo closure. The animals are being checked at 60- to 90-minute intervals and are receiving extra water and bedding for the storm's duration.
Aquariums in the Northeast have also battened down their hatches, with staff working extra hours.
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Tony LaCasse, spokesman for the New England Aquarium, told the Herald, "What's really important to us is the water quality, so in the event of a power outage, we'll have a lot of systems to make sure everything is working properly."
LaCasse added that all of the aquarium's animals are housed indoors now, save for the harbor seals. Like the ducks and swans, the seals have evolved to withstand cold temperatures and are padded down with blubber.
The harbor seals even seem to enjoy ample snow.
"Some of the males will literally play in the snow like a dog," LaCasse said.
A lion plays in the snow at Smithsonian’s National Zoo.