Elephants cool off at Skopje Zoo

Record ID: 1426863

  • Title: Elephants cool off at Skopje Zoo
  • Date: 12th August 2019
  • Summary: SKOPJE, MACEDONIA (AUGUST 9, 2019) (REUTERS) KEEPER IN SKOPJE ZOO SPRAYING AFRICAN ELEPHANT DAELA WITH WATER FROM FIRE HOSE ASIAN ELEPHANT DUNJA OPENING HER MOUTH TO DRINK WATER FROM HOSE DAELA ROLLING AND LYING DOWN ON GROUND UNDER WATER DAELA STANDING UNDER WATER FROM HOSE NODDING HER HEAD KEEPER SPRAYING WATER ON DUNJA DAELA STANDING UNDER WATER FLAPPING HER EARS (SOUNDBITE) (Macedonian) ZOOKEEPER, VOJO IVANOV, SAYING: "As for the high temperatures, our two elephants are from Africa and India and they can withstand pretty high temperatures. But of course, not when it's over 40 degrees, when it's hell hot like we've had these days in Skopje. So, we try to cool them down, and one of the ways we do this is we spray them with fire hoses - we also do this to entertain them, as they are not bored as water rains on them. That cools them down. This allows them to frolic in puddles, and they can also roll in mud and cover themselves to protect from the sun, so this is important to protect their skin, not just for cooling them down." DAELA AND DUNJA WALKING INTO POOL IN ENCLOSURE VARIOUS OF DAELA AND DUNJA SWIMMING IN WATER
  • Embargoed: 26th August 2019 11:44
  • Keywords: elephants in zoo hot weather fire hose North Macedonia keepers use fire hose to keep elephants cool
  • Location: SKOPJE, NORTH MACEDONIA
  • City: SKOPJE, NORTH MACEDONIA
  • Country: Macedonia
  • Topics: Environment,Nature/Wildlife
  • Reuters ID: LVA001ARWXXLL
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: As temperatures in North Macedonia's capital Skopje hit highs of nearly 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday (August 9), keepers at the city's zoo used a fire hose to keep the elephants cool.
    Former circus performers Daela, an African elephant, and Dunja, an Asian elephant, got a refreshing drink and the chance to take mud baths created by the jet of water.
    Zookeeper Vojo Ivanov said that although both elephants were accustomed to hot climates, the unusually high temperatures in Skopje were difficult to deal with even for them.
    After their shower, Daela and Dunja retreated to another part of their enclosure to bath together in their pool.
    The hot weather in North Macedonia is forecast to persist throughout the weekend and into next week, with a high of 41 degrees Celsius (106 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday (August 13).
    (Production: Ognien Teofilovski, David Spaic, Lewis Macdonald)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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