UNITED KINGDOM: Animals venture out and enjoy the snow as London Zoo reopens after the heaviest snowfall in southern England in almost 20 years

Record ID: 333047

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Animals venture out and enjoy the snow as London Zoo reopens after the heaviest snowfall in southern England in almost 20 years
  • Date: 5th February 2009
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FEBRUARY 3, 2009) (REUTERS) ENCLOSURE COVERED IN SNOW / PAN UP TO WHITE-NAPED MANGABEY MONKEY ON BRANCH WHITE-NAPED MANGABEY MONKEY PICKING UP PIECE OF SNOW AND EATING IT BABY WHITE-NAPED MANGABEY MONKEY EATING AND PUSHING SNOW IN ENCLOSURE PEOPLE WALKING IN ZOO BACTRIAN CAMELS IN SNOW AFRICAN HUNTING DOG WALKING INSIDE ENCLOSURE/ TRAINEE KEEPER, ASHLEY COOP LOOKING IN (SOUNDBITE) (English) TRAINEE KEEPER, ASHLEY COOP SAYING: "Really importantly, we make sure that the heating has been serviced. And that it's all ready up to scratch and has been tested. So that all the indoor enclosures and outdoor enclosures are fully heated for the animals so they don't have to face the cold conditions." AFRICAN HUNTING DOG IN SNOW (SOUNDBITE) (English) TRAINEE KEEPER, ASHLEY COOP SAYING: "It's the first time I've seen snow like this working with these types of animals. And I'd have expected a lot of the animals to react quite strangely, maybe get quite scared. But the Zebra for example, we let those out and they were perfectly fine, they just walked out like it was a normal day." GORILLA KINGDOM SIGN GORILLA EATING ZOO VISITORS LOOKING AT GORILLAS TWO ROCK HOPPER PENGUINS ROCK HOPPER PENGUINS IN ENCLOSURE BOY PEEPING OVER FENCE TO LOOK AT PENGUINS ROCK HOPPER PENGUINS HOPPING IN SNOW BUCKET FILLED WITH FISH / SENIOR KEEPER, SECOND IN CHARGE ON BIRD SECTION, TIM SAVAGE THROWING FISH FOR PENGUINS PENGUINS CATCHING FISH (SOUNDBITE) (English) SENIOR KEEPER, SECOND IN CHARGE ON BIRD SECTION, TIM SAVAGE SAYING: "We have two species of penguins here some of them come from Africa, they're actually African black-footed penguins. So even though they've been born in captivity and they have never been born in the while anyway. Sort of seeing the snow, they were a bit actually wary of it." BLACKFOOTED PENGUINS (SOUNDBITE) (English) SENIOR KEEPER, SECOND IN CHARGE ON BIRD SECTION, TIM SAVAGE SAYING: "So in the wild they (Rockhopper penguins) would encounter snow and they were the ones funnily enough here who were quite happy to come out and wander around in the snow." ROCK HOPPER PENGUIN WALKING IN ENCLOSURE
  • Embargoed: 20th February 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA3JH6T9DKK9GBITQDJTN05EN2R
  • Story Text: London Zoo reopened to the public on Tuesday (February 3) with many of its animals venturing out to explore their white surroundings.
    Visitors to the London attraction watched White-Naped Mangabey monkeys throwing and eating the snow.
    Zoo keepers were kept busy on Monday (February 2) ensuring their animals were warm as the blizzard covered the enclosures in a blanket of snow.
    Trainee keeper, Ashley Coop said the Zoo was prepared for the cold snap.

    "Really importantly, we make sure that the heating has been serviced. And that it's all ready up and scratch and has been tested. So that all the indoor enclosures and outdoor enclosures are fully heated for the animals so they don't have to face the cold conditions," he said.
    For many of the animals, many of which were born in captivity, it was the first time they had seen snow.

    "It's the first time I've seen snow like this working with these types of animals. And I'd have expected a lot of the animals to react quite strangely, maybe get quite scared. But the Zebra for example, we let those out and they were perfectly fine they just walked out like it was a normal day," Ashley said.
    Inside the Gorilla Kingdom, Western Lowland Gorillas Zaire, Effie, Mjukuu were kept inside their heated enclosure, and swung on ropes to entertain the visitors.
    Over at the Penguin enclosure, the smallest of the crested penguins hopped through the snow exploring for the second day, their first ever experience of snow.
    The enclosure houses 43 penguins, 40 Black-footed penguins and three Rock hoppers.
    Senior Keeper, Tim Savage said the African black-footed penguins did not venture out on Monday, unsure of their new surroundings.

    "We have two species of penguins here, some of them come from Africa, they are African black-footed penguins. So even though they've been born in captivity and they have never been born in the wild anyway. Sort of seeing the snow, they were a bit actually, wary of it."
    Savage explained that in the wild the Rock hopper penguins would encounter plenty of snow in their natural habitats.

    "So in the wild they (Rock hopper penguins) would encounter snow and they were the ones funnily enough they were they ones who were quite happy to come out and wander around in the snow," he added.
    Roxy, one of the three rock hopper penguins, showed her feisty nature and pushed past the camera after feeding time to get back to her pen.
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