Sometimes, all you need is a snow day.
When the Oregon Zoo closed down for the day because of snow, one staff member was worried about the animals. Winter precipitation in Portland usually falls in the form of rain with only a few days resulting in measurable snow. But on January 11, more than a foot of snow blanketed the city, including the zoo's animal habitats.
Public schools were closed, giving kids a rare snow day experience, but they weren't the only ones celebrating. Zoo staff members went into work to check on the animals and found zoo residents having the best day.
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From the harbor seals to the sea otters, animals that might have never seen snow before were having the time of their lives. Nora the polar bear enjoyed diving and rolling through snow mounds while Sumdra the Asian elephant exited her enclosure to frolic in the winter wonderland.
As the oldest zoo west of the Mississippi, the Oregon Zoo was founded in 1888. Since that time, it's been closed at least five days for weather-related reasons. This blizzard was the biggest snow storm to hit the region since 2008, and the animals celebrated in the cutest ways possible.
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This article was originally published February 16, 2017.
