BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Bitter cold continues to bite the commonwealth, and while many Kentuckians can go inside and get warm by the fire, some animals don’t get this luxury. 

What You Need To Know

  • The kangaroos are Kentucky Down Under Adventure Zoo's most popular animals, but they aren't familiar with cold temperatures

  • The zookeeper says the animals do great at adapting

  • The zoo keeps the animals well fed and gives them plenty of hay, which keeps them warm

  • Kentucky Down Under's kangaroos are from the U.S. and have grown accustomed to the winter

At Kentucky Down Under Adventure Zoo, animals such as horses, sheep and goats are present, all of which are used to winter weather. But the most popular animals, the kangaroos, aren’t quite familiar with colder temperatures. 

However, kangaroos are quite adaptable, said Josh Warf, supervisor zookeeper of Kentucky Down Under. 

“I thought it would be way more difficult keeping these Australian species alive in the cold,” Warf said. 

Warf has been a zookeeper the last two years and said kangaroos have several ways of adapting to cold weather such as resting on plenty of hay. Making sure they have food is also important, he added, as it heats their bodies. 

All of Kentucky Down Under’s kangaroos are from the U.S. and have plenty of experience with winter weather. During these cold months, their fur grows and becomes thicker, Warf said. 

“Because they experience winter each year, their body is on the cycle where they will develop that long coat,” he said. 

Despite the freezing temperatures, two albino kangaroos spend more time outside rather than inside their shed, Warf added. 

“These guys are by far outside more than the other kangaroo species,” he said. “I’ve never seen them shivering or cold at all.” 

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