Pool Day At The Zoo

I went to the Denver Zoo this past Friday afternoon to try out my new $200 camera lens, which replaces the old one, which sadly gave up the ghost. It was a sunny day with temperatures in the 90s, and one of the zoo volunteers by the tiger exhibit said it was too hot for the big cats to come out.  They were all inside in their air-conditioned quarters, no doubt watching a Tigers baseball game. What I don't understand is why it is too hot for them in Denver's climate - which has very low humidity - when lions are native to Africa and tigers to India and southeast Asia, where I understand it can be very humid and a little on the warm side, too?  In any case, all the animals that could were playing in the pool, like the hippopotamus in the photograph on the left. 

One of the zoo's elephants had the same idea, and was submerged as much as possible, using his truck to spray water on the parts that weren't. The other animals that were outside were all standing or sitting in the shade, usually near the door to their compounds, wanting nothing so much as to get back inside to that air conditioning.  This past weekend, by the way, was Tiger Days at the Denver Aquarium. I was told by an aquarium representative at the Denver County Fair last week that the tigers would be roaming around the place, interacting with aquarium visitors and that you could get tiger rides, too.  I know she wouldn't have lied to me, and it sounds like that would have been much more lively than the zoo, but I would have had to pay actual money to get in, and so there you go.