ISRAEL: Israeli zoo keepers treat Safari animals with icicles and splashes of water to cool them off during heatwave

Record ID: 395417

  • Title: ISRAEL: Israeli zoo keepers treat Safari animals with icicles and splashes of water to cool them off during heatwave
  • Date: 30th March 2008
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF SYRIAN BEAR BATHING ZOOKEEPER PREPARING ICICLES BEAR STANDING ON TWO FEET ZOOKEEPER THROWING ICICLE MADE OF SAUCE, FISH AND VEGETABLES INTO BEAR'S CAGE
  • Embargoed: 14th April 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Environment / Natural World,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA65JAWXG1CYTJ7PE1NRDU8HA6
  • Story Text: Animals at Israel's Safari cooled off on Sunday (March 23) with frozen fruit treats and splashes of water during the country's first heatwave at the start of the spring.
    Zoo keepers at Israel's Ramat Gan Safari hosed down elephants to ease them from temperatures that climbed to a peak of more than 35 degrees Celsius, some 10 degrees above the season's average.

    "With their nose they can take inside their nose three litres of water and spray on them. They also take mud and put on their back and it's like a sun screen," explained Zoo instructor Viktoria Minkovitz.
    Syrian bears, which have lived in Israel since biblical times but are now extinct, bit into the bucket size icicle treats made of fish, vegetables and sauce.
    The trainers said the icicle treats relieved the animals seeking refuge from the heatwave.

    "It's very hot today, it's 38 Celsius and our animals are also very hot because of a lot of fur on them so we are giving them a special ice cream," said Minkovit.
    The spring heatwave, which came earlier then ever before, came as the Jewish state celebrated its costume holiday of Purim.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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