Dallas Zoo Helps Its Big Animals Cool Off: Watch the Video

It is hotter for these Dallas Zoo animals here than it is in their native land of Africa. Watch them cool off.

June 30, 2023

Image: The Dallas Zoo's male elephant, Tendaji, gets a cool shower from a water cannon as Dallas cooks under extreme heat.

The Dallas Zoo's male elephant, Tendaji, gets a cool shower from a water cannon as Dallas cooks under extreme heat. Dallas Zoo

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The forecast calls for a high temperature of 86 degrees in the Serengeti, Tanzania, native home to lions and elephants. In Dallas? It's 97.

That's right, Dallas is officially beyond "Africa hot." Frankly, if we were a lion or elephant sweltering at the Dallas Zoo right now, we'd be curled up in a shady spot wondering what the fuck is up with our karma. On the plus side, the zoo does an excellent job of keeping poachers at bay (you just know there's a Texas hunter out there who'd like to take a whack at one of these babies) and the zookeepers also take extra care to help the animals keep cool.

To prove it, the zoo sent along a video of "daily enrichment activities," which in this case included iced treats and a cool shower "from a special spray nozzle, nicknamed the 'water cannon.'" The term "water cannon" has a bit of a bad rep in the American South, but the zoo's male elephant, Tendaji, doesn't seem to mind.

Popsicles and a run through the sprinkler on a hot summer day: The animals' ancestral homes may be on the plains of Africa, but when it comes to beating the heat, they're as American as apple pie.

Patrick Williams is editor-in-chief of the Dallas Observer. Before joining the staff in July 1997, Patrick worked for the Southern Illinoisan, Amarillo Globe News and San Antonio Express-News. As editor-in-chief, he oversees the newsroom and guides the coverage of both the Dallas Observer’s printed publication and online website.

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