How cold was it? At Chicago zoo, even the polar bear came inside
Posted: January 8, 2014 - 4:10pm

In this Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014 photo provided by the Chicago Zoological Society, Anana, a polar bear at Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Ill., seems to be enjoy the snow and frigid temperature blowing through the Chicago area. The zoo was closed Monday, Jan . 6 due to the snowstorm and sub-zero temperatures and plans to reopen Tuesday. It was only the fourth time in Brookfield Zoo's history dating back to 1934 that it has closed due to severe weather conditions. (AP Photo/Chicago Zoological Society, Jim Schulz)
CHICAGO (AP) -- It was even too cold for Chicago's resident polar bear. The city's Lincoln Park Zoo says its polar bear, Anana, was kept inside Monday because of the record-low temperatures. Zoo spokeswoman Sharon Dewar says that while the below-zero weather might be comparable to what polar bears experience in the wild, Anana doesn't have a thick layer of fat that bears typically get from eating things such as seals and whale carcasses. That extra insulation would make it uncomfortable to live in Chicago during the rest of the year, so Anana gets a different diet. While she stayed inside, Anana lounged in her comparatively balmy indoor climate that's kept at 40 to 50 degrees. Anana usually has access to both an indoor and outdoor area. She'll be allowed to venture outside Tuesday.