Anthrocon attendees have added concerns with heat and smoke combination

Wearing a 30- to 50-­ pound fur suit in temperatures in the mid-80s with high humidity can be uncomfortable enough. Add in the smoke from the Canadian wildfires, and breathing can be a challenge.

“There is always a concern about inclement weather of every type,” said John “KP” Cole of Orlando, Fla., public outreach director for the Anthrocon convention, during a media event Thursday at The Westin Pittsburgh. “The smoke coming down from Canada is a little bit of a concern, because we are wearing costumes, and people think they are masks and it will be OK.”

Every summer, anthropomorphics — people dressed as human-like animal characters — travel from all over the world to Pittsburgh. The group gathers at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Cole said the theme this year, “Anthropolis: Our Furry City,” is in honor of Pittsburgh. The avid group has been coming here since 2006, though they missed 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic. They can be seen walking the streets — some in full costume, others in a partial fursuit, which is a head, hands, feet and tail.

The smoke is alarming because the mouthpieces on the costumes are not filtered, Cole said. They are an open hole, so if there is heavy smoke or particulate matter in the air, whatever they are breathing they will probably get more of because they are exerting themselves and breathing harder.

Bill Modzelewski, meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said the Code Red will be changed to Code Orange on Friday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

“Things will start to improve (Friday),” he said. “It will still be unhealthy, but a lot of the smoke will be pretty much cleared out by (Friday) night because of the winds pushing up the smoke.”

He said the temperatures will be in the mid 80s Friday and Saturday and lower 80s on Sunday with a chance of precipitation, including a thunderstorm, Saturday and Sunday. The humidity will be high with the heat index close to 90 degrees.

“Anytime you have heavy clothing or a costume, be aware of how you feel,” Modzelewski said. “Drink plenty of fluids and take breaks to cool off.”

Cole said there are plenty of water stations and cooling centers where the attendees can remove their fur heads and get a drink. He said if there is a thunderstorm or too much rain, which can be a hazard to walking in a fursuit or cause damage to a costume, outdoor activities might have to be canceled.

A block party is scheduled from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, and at 2 p.m. some of the furries will participate in a parade.

“We have definitely thought of the smoke and other weather possibilities,” Cole said. “Health and safety are our top priority, especially when we will be outside. We don’t want anyone overheating. I have been involved in this for 23 years, and some of the furry fandom get excited and tend to forget their body can get tired and they can get heat exhaustion. We constantly remind them to drink water.”

If something does happen, there are trained emergency medical personnel in the building during the four-day convention that officially opened Thursday evening.

Fooma, a green otter from Florida, said they can’t control the weather.

“We will do the best we can do with the smoke situation,” said Zalno, a Lombax from Virginia. “We look out for each other.”

VisitPittsburgh president and CEO Jerad Bachar said it’s definitely an “unusual weather situation.”

“We are cautiously optimistic that the smoke will move out by (Friday),” he said.