Sprinklers, fruit popsicles: Delhi zoo’s plan to help animals cope with summer heat
Among the 1,100 animals of 92 species at the zoo, are five Himalayan black bears that are used to colder temperatures.
Soon after two white tiger cubs made their debut in an enclosure for public viewing on a warm morning at the Delhi zoo on Thursday, their mother, who shares an enclosure with them, plunged into a pool made for the animals to cool off.
For the scorching summer, the three tigers also have a water sprinkler that operates inside the enclosure, and a cooler that is being set up for them. On Friday, when the zoo remains closed, to keep the cubs away from the heat of the afternoon, they were taken from the open space for public viewing into a covered enclosure around 11.30 am, where the outer parts are layered with jute and green sheets to keep the animals cool. For the past 15 days, the cubs are also being hosed down every morning to help them deal with the heat. The temperature in Delhi hit 40 degrees Celsius last weekend.
While care is being taken in the case of the cubs that are seeing their first summer in Delhi, measures are being put in place for the other animals to cope as well. “The summer protocol usually sets in in March, but this year, since we had rains, it was not necessary. By the end of the month, coolers will be functional at all enclosures after maintenance, and shades will be put up, in some enclosures like the one for the ostrich that needs shaded areas,” said Akanksha Mahajan, director, Delhi zoo.
Among the 1,100 animals of 92 species at the zoo, are five Himalayan black bears that are used to colder temperatures. While the coolers are used in the case of bears, big cats, monkeys, birds and reptiles, sprinklers are used in herbivore enclosures, like the ones for the deer. Shaded areas with trees and shrubs also help herbivores beat the heat, and plantation of trees and grass is taken up in the monsoon.
Water sprinklers have been set up at the enclosures of the big cats, while they will also be installed for the bears and the blackbuck. For the elephants, mud baths are important to stay cool, and for Shankar, the African elephant, an excavator was used to plough the earth for aeration and facilitate a mud bath at the enclosure, Mahajan said. “Animals like chinkara and blackbuck are more resilient to the heat considering their original habitats are also warm,” she added.
The feed is also altered in the summer, with the focus being on fruit and liquids. “We add cucumbers to the feed. At this time of the year, bears relish bael (wood apples). Deer are given salt licks to replenish the minerals they need and may lose in case of dehydration. Electrolyte is sometimes added to the water trough of the animals, and feed is switched from buffalo meat to chicken for a lighter meal if the animal is not keen on consuming solid food,” Mahajan said. Fruit popsicles are an added treat that are introduced in May.
For over a thousand animals, the zoo only has a single veterinarian, who is assisted by a compounder.
By: Express News Service
