March's Sunday openings at the Magnetic Hill Zoo offer animal lovers some rare treats

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Animals all over the world are hoping that the groundhog's prediction of an early winter were accurate and the animals at the Magnetic Hill Zoo are likely no exception.

Rain, snow or shine, however, the tenants of the zoo will welcome their first visitors of the season each Sunday throughout the month of March.

"The winter openings are run by The Friends of the Zoo which is a volunteer organization," explains Cathy Simon, the Education Coordinator for the Magnetic Hill Zoo.

"Instead of charging admission, we ask for donations which are put towards their fund-raising initiatives. The whole purpose of the Friends is to raise funds for new and better animal enclosures for the animals at our zoo."

The zoo has had the early Sunday openings for several years with the attendance being much better in some years than in others.

Last year's March was one of the coldest in recent memory and even with the warm up at the end of the month, heavy rains kept many would be visitors at home.

Even with unpredictable weather, those people who come out to the zoo are never disappointed.

"It's a neat experience when you get to see the animals in the snow," says Cathy. "Some of the African animals like the watusi or the elan don't venture outside very often due to the cold.

"On the flip side you have the otters who love to play outside in the winter on the ice. They'll go out in minus thirty degrees windchill when their pond is half frozen to play.

"The keepers will even put ice cubes and snowballs in their enclosure for them to play with."

There are also opportunities for visitors to access parts of the zoo that are unavailable during the warmer months.

"One of the really neat things in March is that the monkey house is open," explains Cathy. "It isn't open during the summer so it's neat for people to be able to go inside and see what it's like.

"There's large glass windows to see the monkeys and they will come right up to the window. People have only a pane of glass separating them from the monkeys, which is a much closer way of seeing them."

Visitors will also have a chance to visit the reptile house and walk through most of the zoo to see how the animals are dealing with the snow.

"Some of the cats like to roll around in the snow, some don't," laughs Cathy. "The jaguars don't like the snow very much but the cougars will come out from time to time.

"The deer, the llamas, the alpacas will all come out in the snow. The goats are always happy to see people. The bears don't like the cold, but they don't mind the snow."

Even for someone such as Cathy who has been involved with the zoo for a number of years, it always offers something special to visitors.

"The thing that always amazes me is how different the zoo looks at this time of year," says Cathy. "People who come out to the March openings get a unique experience.

"The volunteers greet you at the door, they are serving hot chocolate and cookies, the animals are in a different environment - it's a wonderful experience for everyone."

For more information on the Sunday Openings or other programs at the zoo, call 877-7718.