A massive winter storm settled over Portland, Oregon, this week, dumping a foot of snow on the city. The Oregon Zoo closed up shop for visitors on Wednesday and Thursday, but intrepid zoo workers still made it to work to care for the animals, and to capture some delightful footage of the critters playing in the snow.
The Oregon Zoo posted the snow-day video on Wednesday. It starts off with a polar bear named Nora. The large mammal rolls around in the piles of white fluffy snow with abandon. Otters and harbor seals are similarly thrilled with the cool temperatures as they get their meals.
The highlight of the video comes near the end when an Asian elephant steps outside and into the cold powder. Asian elephants hail from areas of Southeast Asia that aren't exactly famous for snowy weather. Samudra, one of the Oregon Zoo's elephants, doesn't seem to mind the exotic ground cover, taking the thick snowfall as an opportunity to play and toss the flakes around.
Strong storms have been pounding the West Coast of the US recently, causing closures of freeways and even toppling an iconic Sequoia tree in California. At least the Oregon Zoo's weather issues didn't put a crimp on the animals' style.
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