{"id":457937,"date":"2026-05-24T17:37:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T17:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/457937\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T17:37:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T17:37:08","slug":"lions-aid-blood-ice-lollies-keep-big-cats-cool-at-london-zoo-animals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/457937\/","title":{"rendered":"Lion\u2019s aid: blood ice lollies keep big cats cool at London zoo | Animals"},"content":{"rendered":"

A hot bank holiday weekend might see humans flock to the beach, don summer hats and crack open a cold beer, but when it comes to keeping big cats cool, zoos turn to a rather different treat: blood lollies.<\/p>\n

While experts note habitats within zoos are carefully tuned to their inhabitants\u2019 needs, with areas of shade, water, sun and mud as appropriate, animals have tactics of their own to cope with the heat.<\/p>\n

Chester zoo says miniature wallabies called dusky pademelons use evaporative cooling by licking their wrists \u2013 as the saliva evaporates, the blood within the vessels close to the skin is cooled. Meanwhile, aardvarks and African crested porcupines opt for subterranean shelter from the heat.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs temperatures soar, many of the animals find their own ways of keeping cool in the sunshine,\u201d said Dr Nick Davis, the mammals general manager at Chester zoo. \u201cThe likes of the eastern black rhinos and capybaras will cool off by submerging themselves in mud wallows, while big cats such as Sumatran tigers and jaguars, and other species like Asian elephants and Humboldt penguins, might beat the heat by taking a dip in their pools,\u201d said Davis.<\/p>\n

Sumatran tiger Gaysha takes a dip in the water at London zoo. Photograph: ZSL<\/p>\n

Indeed, while such birds might be expected to struggle in the heat, Humboldt penguins \u2013 which originate from coastal regions of Peru and Chile \u2013 are actually well equipped for warm climes, with body adaptations including bare patches around their face and a bill through which heat can escape.<\/p>\n

But they also receive a little help: as well as boasting the largest penguin pool in England, the Zoological Society of London<\/a> (ZSL) notes the habitat at London zoo includes misting systems and fans that can be used to cool the surrounding air as temperatures soar.<\/p>\n

A Humboldt penguin at London zoo. Photograph: ZSL<\/p>\n

Lions and Sumatran tigers might also be expected to cope well as the mercury rises \u2013 but that doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t get some special attention. Among the treats they can expect at London zoo are frozen blood-based ice blocks, which are often spiced or contain an edible treat. According to ZSL, the approach not only cools the big cats but encourages natural investigative and hunting behaviours.<\/p>\n

Other species can also look forward to a cooling snack.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes our keepers deliver special fruit and vegetable ice lollies to the chimps, bears and red pandas, while animals including the greater one-horned rhinos may be given a refreshing shower,\u201d said Davis, while ZSL noted gorillas at London zoo receive ice blocks made from sugar-free fruit teas.<\/p>\n

Angela Ryan, ZSL\u2019s head of zoological operations, said the key thing is to make sure every animal can choose what works for them. \u201cSome will head straight for pools or shaded spots, while others really enjoy things like misting or frozen treats as a way to cool down,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of our species are actually built for warm weather anyway, so it\u2019s not about over-intervening \u2013 it\u2019s about making sure they\u2019ve got the right options, and we\u2019re watching closely so they stay comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A hot bank holiday weekend might see humans flock to the beach, don summer hats and crack open…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":457938,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[85,46,141,386],"class_list":["post-457937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=457937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457937\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/457938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=457937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=457937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=457937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}