NEW ORLEANS — Over at the Audubon Zoo, they’re ready for just about anything when it comes to how the animals may react to the solar eclipse.
News with a Twist Reporter Kenny Lopez found out how exactly the eclipse might affect our favorite zoo animals.
How will the orangutans, elephants, and the otters react to the solar eclipse?
“The animals won’t get scared. We do anticipate that the birds will get quiet. Some of the mammals will get more active than you normally see in the middle of the day. For the most part the animals may quiet down and just hang out and be calm throughout the whole process,” Joel Hamilton, General Curator at the Audubon Zoo, said.
Hamilton said they don’t know exactly how the animals will react, but you may see some animals acting as they would when it gets dark.
Down here in New Orleans, we aren’t aligned for the whole eclipse, so it won’t get as dark as in other places.
“It really depends on how dark it gets and the amount of cloud cover in this part of the country,” he said.
And the animals will not be getting protective eye glasses to wear during the solar eclipse.
“We won’t have glasses for the animals, but we want everyone to be careful when it comes to the solar eclipse. You never want to look directly into the sun,” he said.
As for your own pets at home, zoo officials say they may start looking for their food thinking that it is dinner time because it is darker outside.