Oregon Zoo’s Tigers Appear to Be Enjoying Social Isolation

Deputy Director Sheri Horiszny on how the zoo's animals are adjusting to the lack of crowds, testing for COVID-19, and taking tortoises for a walk.

(courtesy of Oregon Zoo)
By Scout Brobst
As we all find ourselves seeing fewer and fewer people each day—spouses, roommates, that one beloved deli clerk—so too have the animals at the Oregon Zoo, which has been closed to the public since mid-March. But it’s not all bad news: Without an audience, some zoo animals have been able to waddle out of captivity and see how the other side lives, giving us all prime quarantine content on social media.

WW spoke to Sheri Horiszny, deputy director of the Oregon Zoo, about coronavirus testing for zoo animals, what interspecies social distancing looks like, and the logic behind orchestrating a meet-cute between a Humboldt penguin and a harbor seal.

WW: How has the shutdown changed day-to-day life for the animals?

Sheri Horiszny: For the animals themselves, I think the biggest change now, since Sunday when the Bronx tiger tested positive, is they're seeing our animal care staff wear masks. We're trying to do everything we can to have the animals not notice a difference and still provide excellent care for them, but we are now social distancing with the animals and wearing masks when we're within 6 feet of them as well.

Does it feel like some animals are feeling the lack of an audience more than others?

Our tigers have been at the zoo for just about a year and they're super shy, so they're enjoying that it's quiet at the zoo. For many animals, they're not noticing a difference at all, because they've got their animal care staff there, and those are the relationships they're really keyed in on.

We saw the Oregon Zoo penguins find their way to the seal tank last week. Can we look forward to more unlikely pairings as the quarantine continues?

We had the tortoises go for a walk last week. The beavers and porcupines have been out walking more than they might other times.

Are those adventures more for the animals or the people missing the zoo?

I think it's both. I think it's definitely about creating fun experiences that we can share with people while they're unable to come to the zoo, but it's also both psychologically and physiologically stimulating for the animals to go and get to do new things.

Related: Keepers Are Letting the Penguins Run Loose at the Oregon Zoo.

What would happen if a zoo animal were to test positive?

It depends. If it were a primate or a cat, we would look at what our current practices in place fell short. If it's in a new species, it would probably be bigger news because it would be news for not just us but also other zoos. We would just try to shore up our practices in any way we could if we could figure out how that happened given that we've got a lot of cautionary measures already in place.

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