How cold is it?

So cold that even the polar bears have to stay inside!

Lincoln Park Zoo’s polar bear, Anana, stayed inside due to extreme low temperatures in Chicago on Monday.

Sharon Dewar, a zoo spokeswoman, said, “She doesn’t typically enjoy the cold very much. Typically they wouldn’t need that insulation and it would make them uncomfortable going into summer.”

According to UPI, Dewar said that even though polar bears are used to below zero temperatures in the wild, Anana does not have the thick layer of fat that bears get from eating seal and whale carcasses due to her Midwest diet.

The weather in Chicago has dipped as low as 9 degrees below zero in the past few days, but Anana’s indoor climate is typically kept at 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

However, this morning caregivers reported that Anana went outside to explore her outdoor yard a few times.

The 35-acre Lincoln Park Zoo was founded in 1868, making it one of the oldest zoos in the United States. Along with Anana the polar bear, the zoo also hosts penguins, reptiles, big cats, monkeys, and other species, totaling approximately 1,100 animals.

The Lincoln Park Zoo closed early today due to the continuing cold weather, which is supposed to stay in the single digits this evening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IomlzqWkBT0

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