Manila, Philippines:
A Philippine zoo is feeding tigers frozen treats made from animal blood and preventing lions from mating during the hottest time of the day as a heat wave scorches the country.
The unusually warm weather has sent temperatures in the capital Manila to record highs in recent days and forced schools across the archipelago to suspend in-person classes.
As people flock to malls and air-conditioned swimming pools to cool off from the extreme heat, the animals at the Manila Zoo are also trying to cool down.
Preventing heat stroke, especially among the big cats, was the “main priority”, zoo veterinarian Dave Vinas told AFP on Tuesday as the mercury in the city reached 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
Water is splashed on the walls and ground of concrete enclosures throughout the day to help lower the temperature inside.
“Bloodsicles” made from frozen ground beef or chicken, animal blood and vitamins are given to the big cats to lick.
Tigers and lions are also regularly sprayed with water and take dips in pools in their enclosures.
Too hot to mate
Wendell, a five-year-old Bengal tiger weighing nearly 400 pounds, pants nonstop while soaking in a shallow pool for hours.
“Just like the little cats we have at home, they need to sleep at least 12 to 16 hours a day. But since it is very hot now, they swim to release the heat from the body,” Vinas said.
Gab, a lioness, looks bored as she sits on a raised concrete platform after zoo keepers locked her male companion Diego in another cage to prevent them from mating during the hottest part of the day.
“We don't want to expose them to the mating part in this heat,” Vinas said. “We don't want to cause heat stroke.”
Water is also poured over the enclosures of snakes and turtles to help regulate their body temperature.
While icicles and baths were common during the warmer months of March, April and May, Vinas said this year's heat was the most intense he had ever experienced.
“Even if they get good ventilation, the temperature is getting worse every year,” he told AFP.
“We just find ways to make it better for the animals.”
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