SOUTH KOREA-HEAT/ZOO Animals in South Korean zoo beat summer heat with iced food and cold showers

Record ID: 144316

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA-HEAT/ZOO Animals in South Korean zoo beat summer heat with iced food and cold showers
  • Date: 11th August 2015
  • Summary: GWACHEON, SOUTH KOREA (AUGUST 11, 2015) (REUTERS) SUN SHINING IN SKY ZOO KEEPERS THROWING ICE CUBES INTO POOL ICED FOOD FLOATING ON WATER ELEPHANTS WALKING THROUGH WATER ELEPHANTS IN WATER GRABBING ICED FOOD ELEPHANT IN WATER EATING A WHOLE ICED WATERMELON ELEPHANT EATING ICED ORIENTAL MELONS ELEPHANT TRYING TO GRAB ICED FOOD HUNG ON BRANCH ELEPHANT GRABBING ICED WATERMELON FROM WATER AND EATING IT (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) ANIMAL HUSBANDRY MANAGER AT SEOUL GRAND PARK ZOO, PARK SUN-DUK, SAYING: "The animals in our zoo tend to get stressed from high temperatures in the summer season and show a decrease in the rate of reproduction and loss of appetite. So we provide them with special treats during July and August especially in an extreme heat wave." WATER BEING SPRAYED ON ELEPHANTS VARIOUS OF ELEPHANTS TAKING A SHOWER AND COOLING OFF VISITORS WATCHING ELEPHANTS (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) 12-YEAR-OLD SOUTH KOREAN ZOO VISITOR, JANG JI-YEON, SAYING: "I was very hot and I think the animals felt hot too. I believe the animals cooled off while playing in the showers." SIBERIAN TIGERS CRAWLING AROUND CAGE SIBERIAN TIGERS CRAWLING INTO POOL TO EAT ICED BEEF LIVER SIBERIAN TIGERS IN WATER EATING ICED BEEF LIVER VISITORS WATCHING SIBERIAN TIGERS (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) 38-YEAR-OLD SOUTH KOREAN ZOO VISITOR, KIM MIN-HO, SAYING: "With the weather being really hot, it's nice and much cooler to see the tigers eating icy cold frozen meat." FOOD FROZEN IN BLOCK OF ICE RING-TAILED LEMURS CRAWLING AROUND CAGE AS JOURNALIST FILM RING-TAILED LEMUR TRYING TO EAT ICED FOOD ON OVERHEAD LADDER RING-TAILED LEMUR CARRYING BABY EATING ICED FOOD ORANGUTAN HANGING ON ROPE TO GRAB ICED FOOD ORANGUTAN GRABBING ICED FOOD ORANGUTAN HUGGING ICED FOOD
  • Embargoed: 26th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA6S83OSF1MY2EWB11QMUKAGDDX
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: As summer heat hits the country, animals in a South Korean zoo managed to stay cool with iced food and cold showers.
    The temperature reached 32 degrees Celsius (90F) on Tuesday (August 11) at Seoul Grand Park Zoo in Gwacheon, south of Seoul. Elephants tucked into huge ice blocks with various fruits and iced watermelons thrown into pool.
    Siberian tigers were fed with iced beef liver. Ring-tailed lemurs and orangutans had fun with blocks of frozen fruit hung on their play facilities.
    Park Sun-duk, an animal husbandry manager at the zoo, said it is important to provide special treats like iced food to animals during hot summer.
    "The animals in our zoo tend to get stressed from high temperatures in the summer season and show a decrease in the rate of reproduction and loss of appetite. So we provide them with special treats during July and August especially in an extreme heat wave," said Park.
    Watching animals eating iced food has become one of the zoo's most popular attractions.
    "I was very hot and I think the animals felt hot too. I believe the animals cooled off while playing in showers," said 12-year-old student Jang Ji-yeon.
    "With the weather being really hot, it's nice and much cooler to see tigers eating icy cold frozen meat," said 38-year-old Kim Min-ho who brought his family to the zoo.
    After enjoying iced food, elephants also cooled off with showers and dips in the pool to get relief from the summer heat.
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