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Cattle Brushes, Mist Showers,
and Mud Wallows

Some animals need hands-on grooming assistance from our
animal care specialists. “We do baths for one of our red river hogs
because it has a dry skin issue,” said Carrie Jung, lead animal care
specialist, Hoofed Mammals. Some species native to regions
that are cooler or drier than the Midwest need extra attention.
They include llamas, native to the cool Andes Mountains of
South America. The Zoo’s llamas have a thick fleece coat that
needs to be sheered during the summer so they won’t overheat.
Bactrian camels also receive help to shed their 20-to-30-pound
winter coat, which comes off in large chunks, said Jung. That’s
because the climate here is more humid than their natural habitat
in the dry regions of Mongolia and China. The humidity causes
their coat to become matted, she said, which can lead to fungal
infections if animal care specialists don’t remove the chunks.
The Zoo’s animal care specialists give animals the tools and
incentives to groom themselves, which contributes to their health
and well-being. Most obvious are pools and tubs of water for
species that bathe or groom in water, or jump into water to cool
off, such as our polar bears and brown bears. A mud bath was
built into the habitat of the red river hogs and rhinos are given
showers in their indoor habitat. They enjoy rolling around in
the muddy pools of water.
“Preening is among the repertoire of behaviors we want to
promote,” said Hickman. Because getting wet initiates preening
behavior in birds, Hickman’s team add devices that spray a
misting rain in many bird habitats, he said. “We feed penguins
in the water—it causes them to swim and then they preen their
feathers for 10 to 20 minutes.”
Installing grooming devices in animal habitats also provide
environmental enrichment for animals, which keeps them
mentally and physically active. They can rub off excess hair or
fur on a rock or a textured log. “During shedding season, we
provide cattle brushes for bison to rub on as well as donated street
sweeper brushes,” said Vinci. “They take advantage of that to help
shed themselves.” Brushes are also hung up in the behind-the-
scenes habitats of the snow leopard, Amur tiger, and wombats.

Right, top to bottom: Red river hog,
American bison, llama

BROOKFIELD ZOO CHICAGO | SPRING 2025