Hazardous air quality settled over Milwaukee Thursday, forcing residents, workers and even zoo animals to adapt — or push through.
Dave Sluss, owner of Dave's Dawgs, set up his cart near 92nd and Howard despite the conditions. With sales already down earlier in the week, he said he had little choice.
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“I haven't been out all week because of the heat, and now it's cooling down a little bit. But the smoke, but I think I'll take the smoke over the heat,” Sluss said.
To limit his customers' exposure, Sluss worked to get orders out in 30 seconds or less.
“It is just definitely something we're not used to,” Sluss said.
Watch: Milwaukee hazardous air: how some workers are adapting and pushing through
At Draft & Co. in downtown Milwaukee, staff were also adjusting to the smoky conditions. What would normally be a busy summer patio sat nearly empty Thursday as customers moved indoors.
“We knew the patio wasn’t gonna be busy,” said Nathaniel Davauer with Draft & Co. “Would we ask our staff to stand outside in that? No, we wouldn’t.”
Davauer said the air quality impacted business before many customers even left their homes.
“I think people aren’t leaving the house today,” Devour said. “If they were going to meet someone out for beers on the patio, they canceled that before they even showed up.”
At the Milwaukee County Zoo, staff monitored more than 2,300 animals as air quality deteriorated. Tracey Dolphin, director of animal management, said some species were moved indoors as a precaution.
“We do see that some species are more susceptible to it, like our primates are. Some of our birds are as well. So our flamingos are inside as well,” Dolphin said.
Other animals — including hippos, gazelles and penguins — stayed in their outdoor habitats. Dolphin said moving them would have caused more harm than good.
“If we would pull them off habitat, it would cause a little bit more stress for them, so we don't want to do any harm, additional harm. So they will stay where they're at, and we will continue to monitor them,” Dolphin said.
The zoo canceled several outdoor experiences and kept a close eye on animals, staff and guests throughout the day.
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