ISRAEL: Frozen meat hits the spot with sweltering tigers and badgers at Ramat Gan Zoo/ While people head to the beach to combat heatwave in Tel Aviv

Record ID: 396603

  • Title: ISRAEL: Frozen meat hits the spot with sweltering tigers and badgers at Ramat Gan Zoo/ While people head to the beach to combat heatwave in Tel Aviv
  • Date: 3rd August 2010
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) TEL AVIV RESIDENT TAIR TAJER, SAYING: "It's boiling." (SOUNDBITE) (English) TEL AVIV RESIDENT DANA FOOKS, SAYING: "It's hell. It's like going through a soup" TAIR TAJER SAYING: "We're burning, we just came to chill you know." (SOUNDBITE) (English) TEL AVIV RESIDENT OREN SCHMEIZER, SAYING: "Very hot, it's getting hotter every year and there's nothing
  • Embargoed: 18th August 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Weather
  • Reuters ID: LVA6ME3PQSN3PMSHMUIQDRBSMSW5
  • Story Text: Animals at Israel's Ramat Gan Zoo got a frozen surprise on Tuesday (August 3), as the country sweltered under a heat wave and high humidity.
    One tiger came out of the shade to enjoy the icy meat treat, smelling and licking the food to the delight of onlookers.
    Zoo keepers used various methods to cool off the animals, from frozen treats to hosing down the large mammals. Temperatures climbed to a peak of more than 35 degrees Celsius, and would remain hot for most of the week.
    Ramat Gan zoo used ground meat to make the enticing frozen treats for the tigers and other carnivores.
    "We freeze ground meat inside bins with ice, so they find it entertaining to lick and eat and also cool them down quite a bit, and it is entertaining for the public too that gets to see them play with popsicles," Gali Berkovich, a zoo employee said.
    Meanwhile Israelis headed for Tel Aviv beach to tan and cool off during the heat wave.
    Tel Aviv's beach front was thronged with people, all looking to make the most of the very hot conditions. The residents, like the tigers at the zoo, licked ice-cream in the shade to keep cool.
    "It's boiling," said bikini-clad Tair Tajer.
    "It's hell. It's like going through a soup," complained her friend Dana Fooks.
    Oren Schmeizer said he had resorted to taking a shower every hour - unless he could escape to the beach.
    "It's getting hotter every year and there's nothing else to do, just go to the beach. It's too hot to stay at home," he said.
    According to weather forecast the heat wave will peak on Thursday with temperatures expected to go over 40 degrees Celsius and humidity reaching over 55 percent.
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