http://www.detnews.com/1999/metro/9912/29/12290146.htm

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Wednesday, December 29, 1999

Detroit Zoo ready, but worried, about Y2K bugs

By Mark Puls / The Detroit News

ROYAL OAK -- The wildlife exhibits at the Detroit Zoo may seem far removed from Y2K technology worries. But imagine computers at the Zoo going haywire or utilities shutting down as the clock strikes a new millennium. The temperatures at the amphibian hibernation area might wake frogs and salamanders for a January shock. Doors may spring open. Nature could run wild. The hot springs that warm the snow monkeys could run dry. Zoo officials hope none of these glitches occur. They've spent hundreds of hours recently reprograming computer chips, software and hardware and other technical equipment that recreate natural environments for animals for Y2K compliance. The Detroit Zoo is one of the most high-tech zoos in the country. None of its exhibits have bars or cages. Zoologists have tried to recreate each animal's natural environment, including the natural temperatures and lighting of native climates. Everything from meal time to natural sounds are controlled by computer. And every animals' medical record is on computer. So potentially, there is a lot that could go wrong. And for many animals any sudden changes could be life threatening. "I'll be relieved when Y2K is over," said John Anderson, director of new technology. "In all likelihood, nothing will happen," he said. "But we have to treat it as if the lives of animals are at stake." The zoo also is equipped with backup generators in case power outages occur at utility companies. There are 1,300 animals and 250 species at the 125-acre Zoo. Environments as harsh and diverse as Antarctica to tropical islands are recreated. "The zoo is like its own little planet," said Anderson, who describes his fellow zoologists as McGyver types who are quick to come up with an invention to solve any problem. To get toads to mate, the zoo has set up a toad love-song recorder that helps get amphibians in an amorous mood by hearing other toads in the heat of passion. Imagine the havoc Y2K problems could cause come midnight. A rain machine simulates the daily deluge of rain forests. But Rana Kozouz, public relations director of the Detroit Zoo, said the attraction is constantly on alert for emergencies. "It's similar to being ready for storms or when utilities go out," she said. "We have to keep going."

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), December 29, 1999

Answers

Ludi sad! I love that zoo! I used to go to it all the time when I was a kid in Detroit. Hope things stay up there, at least humans have something resembling the ability to adapt to these potential disasters (those of us who are not utterly stupid, that is), animals have much less flexibility. Poor animals. :(

-- Ludi (ludi@rollin.com), December 29, 1999.