"He's a church griffin. He's got a little less fur right now than he usually would," Alex had talked someone in to lending him scissors for a styling session that only got him slightly bruised by a pecking beak. "They've been nearly wiped out back home and most people there don't even know they exist. I work with a lot of wildlife like that, and Crow here was a rescue- he doesn't do too well in the heat, either," Alex admits. "Hence the haircut." The normally long, fluffy fur has been trimmed back, showing the lighter undercoat.

"What works for him is helpful for people too. Lots of cold water, both to drink and to bathe in. A lot of illness from heat is really dehydration. You've got the light, breathable clothing down already," he says. "Tying your hair up if you don't want to cut it helps too." Or so he's observed with two sisters and one Australian fiancée.