Frozen treats, cold showers and lots of ice; Florida zoo works to protect animals from summer heat

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Malayan tigers and Aldabra tortoises are native to hot and humid lands, but that doesn't mean they don't enjoy a frozen treat on a hot Florida summer day.

Temperatures in South Florida this month have reached the upper 90s Fahrenheit (mid-30s Celsius) with humidity reaching 70%, combining for “feels like” temperatures regularly exceeding 100 F (38 C).

Staff at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society use a variety of techniques to keep their animals cool. Zookeepers throw large piles of ice into the black bear enclosure for the animals to wallow in, chilling their pool to 74 F (23 C). The otters get ice blocks and frozen fish tossed into their water for playing and eating.

Tigers feast on more ingenious treats: They get frozen cow bones crammed into blocks of ice, along with a side of frozen goat milk. The big cats also like to swim.

Giant tortoises, native to the islands of the Indian Ocean, enjoy cool showers from a hose, which they can feel through their shells.

“Even though all of our animals are acclimatized to the South Florida weather, they look for ways to cool off during the hot days, just like we do,” said Mike Terrell, the zoo's curator of animal experiences. “All of our animals that we have here at the zoo were specifically chosen because they’re used to warm climates. And so they’re totally happy in a high, high heat, high humidity environment. ”

The zoo's guests love to watch the animals cool down and children press their faces up against the glass for a better look, Terrell said.

“We absolutely love is nose prints,” Terrell said.

Figuring out what cooling activities the animals enjoy requires a bit of trial and error, he said.

“They really tell us what they like," Terrell said. "We can take our best guess, but if we’re giving them something that they don’t like or they’re not interacting with, we’re not going to continue to give it to them.”

Associated Press writer Terry Spencer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, contributed to this report.

A flamingo stands in the shade at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society Thursday, July 18, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. The staff at the zoo use a variety of techniques to keep their animals cool during the hot summer months. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

An employee wears a t-shirt reading Saving Wildlife in Wild Places at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society Thursday, July 18, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. The staff at the zoo use a variety of techniques to keep their animals cool during the hot summer months. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Children on a field trip from summer camp look at an exhibit at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society Thursday, July 18, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. The staff at the zoo use a variety of techniques to keep their animals cool during the hot summer months. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Mike Terrell, curator of animal experiences, sprays an Aldabra tortoise with cool water at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society Thursday, July 18, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. The staff at the zoo use a variety of techniques to keep their animals cool during the hot summer months. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Aldabra tortoises get sprayed with cool water at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society Thursday, July 18, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. The staff at the zoo use a variety of techniques to keep their animals cool during the hot summer months. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

A black bear named Lewis eats an apple while in a cool pool of water at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society Thursday, July 18, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. The staff at the zoo use a variety of techniques to keep their animals cool during the hot summer months. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

A black bear named Clark lies on a pile of crushed ice at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society Thursday, July 18, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. The staff at the zoo use a variety of techniques to keep their animals cool during the hot summer months. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

A Malayan tiger named Api carries a cow bone in a block of ice at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society Thursday, July 18, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. The staff at the zoo use a variety of techniques to keep their animals cool during the hot summer months. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

A Malayan tiger named Api licks on a frozen cube of goat milk next to a cow bone in a block of ice at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society Thursday, July 18, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. The staff at the zoo use a variety of techniques to keep their animals cool during the hot summer months. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Sherry Apostolopoulos, left, looks at an exhibit of river otters with her granddaughter Raelyn, right, at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society Thursday, July 18, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. The staff at the zoo use a variety of techniques to keep their animals cool during the hot summer months. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

A river otter chews on a block of ice with smelt at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society Thursday, July 18, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. The staff at the zoo use a variety of techniques to keep their animals cool during the hot summer months. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

A river otter chews on a block of ice with smelt at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society Thursday, July 18, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. The staff at the zoo use a variety of techniques to keep their animals cool during the hot summer months. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

A river otter holds a block of ice with smelt at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society Thursday, July 18, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. The staff at the zoo use a variety of techniques to keep their animals cool during the hot summer months. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

A river otter holds a block of ice with smelt at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society Thursday, July 18, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. The staff at the zoo use a variety of techniques to keep their animals cool during the hot summer months. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle Mariners prized left-hander Kade Anderson will make his major league debut Saturday to start against the Chicago Cubs, manager Dan Wilson said Friday.

The 22-year-old Anderson is one of the top pitching prospects in baseball and dominated the competition in his first minor league season. Anderson is 10-1 with a 1.06 ERA in 18 starts for Double-A Arkansas, striking out 135 batters and walking 13 across 93 1/3 innings.

The Mariners selected Anderson with the third pick in the 2025 draft out of LSU. When he takes the mound Saturday, Anderson will become the first player from his draft class to make his Major League debut.

“So excited about that,” Wilson said. “What an incredible season Kade Anderson has had down at the Double A level. It's extremely exciting to have him here and we're excited to get him on the mound tomorrow.”

It is unclear yet if Anderson will be making a spot start to help Seattle form a six-man rotation or take the place of one of the Mariners’ five right-handed starting pitchers. In early August, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said Anderson would start his Major League career as a starter.

“We’re not going to put Kade in the bullpen,” Dipoto said. “He’s the best starting pitcher in the minor leagues.”

There is no obvious candidate for Anderson to replace. After the Mariners traded right-hander Luis Castillo to the Chicago White Sox ahead of the trade deadline, Seattle was still left with former All-Stars Logan Gilbert and Bryan Woo, former first-round pick Emerson Hancock, George Kirby and Bryce Miller.

Woo, who was originally scheduled to start Saturday, left his last outing after 75 pitches due to shoulder soreness. But Woo has remained with the team since his most recent appearance. Wilson doesn't envision an injured list stint for Woo, and at the most, would miss his next scheduled start.

But once again, this puts Seattle into a starting rotation predicament. It's enjoyed an overage of starting pitching options, and at one point during this season, Wilson paired Castillo and right-hander Bryce Miller in a “piggyback” to ensure Seattle’s six starting pitchers were all able to regularly appear in games. This option could potentially return for the club.

“I think we continue to talk about that and see what will make the most sense for us going forward,” Wilson said. “Once we get Bryan (Woo) slotted in, we'll be able to figure out exactly how we're going to proceed there.”

Anderson, who arrived in Seattle Friday, joins the club at a time when it is in need of reinforcements.

The Mariners are 60-68 after the Milwaukee Brewers beat them 7-4 on Thursday. Seattle is 5-9 over its last 14 games, and sits four games back of the Houston Astros in the AL West. Earlier this week, the Brewers beat the Mariners 22-0, which matched baseball’s modern-era record for the biggest shutout.

“Where we're at with the season and how we feel like this last month plus of baseball shakes up, and I think Kade is a guy that can help us in that department,” Wilson said.

Seattle won the AL West and reached the AL Championship Series last season.

The Cubs, meanwhile, are 74-54 and hold the top Wild Card spot in the National League.

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

FILE - American League pitcher Kade Anderson (32) delivers during the first inning of the MLB All-Star Futures baseball game against the National League, July 12, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola, File)

FILE - Seattle Mariners first-round draft pick Kade Anderson speaks during a baseball news conference, July 22, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)