Any visitors in town for the Super Bowl hoping to catch a glimpse of America’s only twin zoo pandas Tuesday are out of luck.
Zoo Atlanta announced Monday afternoon that it was not opening Tuesday “in anticipation of inclement winter weather conditions.” The news release made no commitment to the zoo opening Wednesday.
The zoo is one of the city’s largest attractions and surely would rather be open during maybe one of the largest weeks of tourism imaginable.
“We’re really excited about welcoming guests in town for the Super Bowl, and hope to see everyone a bit later in the week, as the week progresses, when we expect some warmer temperatures and some nice days,” said zoo spokeswoman Rachel Davis.
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The zoo joins nearly all school districts closing across metro Atlanta, as the area is under a winter weather advisory due to threats of possible snow and ice.
This happened to the zoo almost exactly a year ago.
Even though the attraction will be closed to the public, the animal care team will be there to ensure all of the critters are alright and fed, Davis said.
She added that all of the animals have temperature guidelines that vary by species.
For example, the giant pandas — native to cool, high-altitude mountain forests in China — and the Chilean flamingos found in the Andes Mountains can both handle the cold.
But heat-seekers like the great apes and some monkey species generally won’t be outside below 45 degrees.
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