Dresden (dpa/sn) - Ice cream bombs with frozen fruits, mud wallows for the rhinos: In the heat, the animals in the Saxon zoos are also looking forward to cooling off on Tuesday. The elephants in the Dresden Zoo, for example, could take a cool bath or wallow in the damp clay, said biologist Thomas Brockmann in Dresden. In general, most animals would cope well with the heat and looked for a shady spot. "They try to avoid the blazing sun naturally." In the enclosures themselves there are enough trees or shelters that provide shade.
There are also ice cream bombs made of fruit, fish or meat from time to time. "It's a bit of a change for the animals, they also play with it," said Brockmann. According to the animal keepers in the zoos in Leipzig and Hoyerswerda, they also froze additional food.
According to a spokeswoman, the mud wallows are filled up for the rhinos and elephants in Leipzig to protect the skin from the heat. The emu lady "Hilde" at Hoyerswerda Zoo likes to take a dip in the fresh water for refreshment, said zoological director Eugéne Bruins. "The animals are lazier than usual."
In the Chemnitz zoo, large trees and a stream bring a natural cool down for the animals, as a spokeswoman said. They drink more overall in the high temperatures and are more active in the mornings and evenings than during the day.
According to the German Weather Service, up to 39 degrees are expected in Saxony on Wednesday.
