Lemur enjoying a summer ice cream treat.
Credit: Bioparc, Fuengirola.
Bioparc, Fuengirola is looking to help its animals beat the extraordinary temperatures with some novel ideas, including ice cream.
Always keeping an eye on their animals’ wellbeing, especially during this ‘orange alert’ heatwave that we have been suffering on the Costa del Sol, the zookeepers are doing their utmost to keep the animals well hydrated, fed and as cool as possible in the face of an uncomfortably hot climate.
Also, there have been some novel measures designed to guarantee the wellbeing of animals in this season one of them is the preparation of specifically designed diets which include refreshing ice creams of all flavours and for all tastes, a variety carefully selected vegetables and fruits, chopped meat and blood, fish and insects.
Special ice creams for the animals
The ice creams are adapted to the needs of each species. For felines such as tigers or leopards, they enjoy huge ice lollies mixed with blood and pieces of meat, placed in strategic places in the facilities. These enrichments are not only nutritional, but also a joy to munch on.
The ice lollies and ice creams, according to staff at the Bioparc, are not only a treat with all the right ingredients to keep them fit and healthy, but because they are a beneficial stimulation for the animal that activates its instincts. In the case of gorillas, chimpanzees, gibbons and lemurs, the kitchen at Bioparc Fuengirola prepares colourful ice creams and sorbets made from beetroot juice and spinach combined with pieces of other types of vegetables and fruit such as apples, carrots, tomatoes, bananas and watermelon.
Worm and grasshopper slushies for the lemurs
And one of the most curious, the small ice cubes that the meerkats enjoy most? Worm and grasshopper slushies. These ice creams are not the main food of the species that Bioparc Fuengirola houses, but they are part of the enrichment with which the Zoology team stimulates the animals senses, motor skills, and behavioural patterns, among others.
This summer protocol also includes the activation of diffusers to cool down facilities such as the Hornbill enclosure. In addition, most of the enclosures also have shaded areas, rivers or ponds that allow the animals to cool off whenever they need to.
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