There is a heat wave coming, and here's how Milwaukee's zoo animals are getting ready for it

With a heat wave coming through Wisconsin, humans might be more inclined to reach for ice cream or frozen custard to keep cool. 

Animals at Milwaukee County Zoo are going to get frozen treats, too, but a little different than ours. They're going to gnaw on some frozen blood and fish. 

Appetizing. 

Zoo-goers might see big cats with a bloody ice treat, or sometimes frozen meat to keep them occupied for longer. 

Seals and bears in the North American section get frozen fish, either in ice block or "Popsicle" form. 

"They'll lay on them sometimes, or just put the frozen treats in their mouth," said Dawn Fleuchaus, area supervisor for the North American section. 

As high heat indexes take over Milwaukee, ice treats will be just one of the ways zoo keepers keep animals comfortable and safe outside. 

"We make sure their pools are clean, and we have misters, and if it's really hot, they have access to the air conditioning," said Sheri Guay, a zookeeper in Big Cat Country. 

The heat doesn't bother some of the big cats — like lions, jaguars, and cheetahs — too much. Others are different. 

"Snow leopards and tigers are not the biggest fans of the heat, so we monitor them closely," Guay said. "Anytime it's over 80 degrees, we do that."

The same goes for North American animals. 

The polar bears have an indoors space to go to with air conditioning when temperatures reach 80. Other bears' air-conditioned sections are opened at 90 degrees.

The rest of the North American-native animals have enough shade to be OK outside even in high temperatures. 

"It's not that different, we just provide them with more opportunities to cool themselves with pools and fresh water," Fleuchaus said.

If the animals are hot, they can be harder to see. 

"When it's this hot, you can tell that it slows down their activity. You might not see them walking around," Fleuchaus said. "They like to sit in shade, which could be out of sight."

But other animals will be just as visible as usual, like the penguins near the zoo entrance. 

"The warm weather ones are native to Chile so they don’t mind the heat," said Laura Pedriani, Milwaukee Zoo marketing and communications director. 

Mostly, it comes down to zookeepers knowing their animals and how each reacts to different weather. 

"I have a snow leopard that doesn't get too bothered by the heat when others might. We have to know the individual animal," Guay said. "It all comes down to monitoring them to make sure to they are not showing any signs of heat stress. We try to catch things before it happens." 

Jordyn Noennig covers pop culture and entertainment in Milwaukee.  Follow her on Instagram @JordynTaylor_n. Find her on Twitter @JordynTNoennig. Call her at 262-446-6601 or email Jordyn.Noennig@jrn.com.