July 8, 2015 In Italy and Spain, zoo residents in the countries’ capitals cooled off with tasty frozen treats, and in Rome, animals welcomed any relief they could get, as temperatures went over 35 degrees Celcius on July 2nd.
The animals, especially the orangutans were really big on iced lollies made with yogurt and fruit while the brown bears munched on iced melons as they lounged in the pool to cool off.
Rome zoo curator Yitzhak Yadid talked about these measures to manage the weather:
“We are trying to give them some iced mixed with some food and some frozen yogurt. They do like it very much, they appreciate it very much. For most of the other animals they have water all the time, who has the pool can go into the pool, they have the shade which is very important in every enclosure,”
Meanwhile in Madrid, zoo handlers were throwing ice blocks containing frozen fish and fruits into the enclosures to help the animals keep cool.
Zoo handler Eva Martinez said the animals were also enjoying refreshing showers as well:
“We make some special ice creams with some fruits or juices or fish for example for the giant otters. So depending what they like most we prepare different flavors of ice creams”
According to Madrid zoo workers, the heat did not pose a risk to the animals, but keeping them happy and as conformable as possible was the goal.