When the heat came, the "delicate" animals of Shanghai Zoo were hot enough, not to mention the pandas and golden snub-nosed monkeys living in cold areas could not withstand the high temperatures, and even the "African indigenous" gorillas were defeated by the sweltering hot weather of the magic capital, and they were reluctant to move every day.
To this end, the breeders arrange heat equipment for the animals early, specially made a large number of ice cubes, the daily consumption of watermelon is 120 pounds, it is expected to reach about 300 pounds in extreme high temperatures, and the summer vegetables are also up to 10 kinds of 500 to 800 pounds.
The "Ice Factory" is in full swing
There are many ways for animals to escape the heat, but one of the ancient but easy-to-use summer tools is "ice". Water freezes into ice, and in the summer heat, ice cubes are undoubtedly natural and effective "treasures", and the slightest coolness penetrates the lungs and refreshes the body and mind.
In previous years, ice cubes used by animals were procured directly from the market. Since last year, in order to use ice more safely and efficiently, the Shanghai Zoo Feed Distribution Center ("Animal Canteen") has officially made ice cubes and transported them to posts for animals to use.
The zoo uses a backup cold storage to make ice cubes, and the ice making temperature conditions are -18 ° C. The staff placed the stainless steel basin with water in the spare cold storage 1 to 2 days in advance, and after freezing, distributed to each exhibition area.
Watermelons became their favorite
There is a big hippo family here, the father is "round", the mother is "small things", and there are two babies "happy sister" and "happy sugar". They live in the water all year round, and in the summer, they are immersed in the water all day, and they are not even willing to go ashore to eat.
Their summer preferred food is watermelon, in addition to quenching thirst and cooling, it is also rich in a variety of vitamins and mineral nutrients, which can meet the various nutritional needs of hippos, so it is the best "umbrella" for hippopotamus to prevent heat and cool down.
The daily consumption of watermelon in the garden is amazing, and the "big stomach king" elephant and giraffe are also fond of watermelon. The naughty elephant "Momo", who usually wants to shake his nose and spray water on tourists, also stays indoors these days, waiting for the breeders to spray water to cool down, and after spraying one side, he will consciously turn around and let people spray the other side. After being cleaned, they have a big appetite, watermelon twice a day, and one meal can not be less. The tall and beautiful giraffes, on the other hand, like watermelons to chew on ice cubes the most, and the amount of leaf food they eat every day is reduced.
The Panda Brothers are sensitive to temperature
Three weeks ago, the two brothers of giant pandas "Japanese Wind" and "Starlight" began to implement summer schedules. Every morning at 6 a.m., the keepers wake them up, and the first thing the "Japanese Wind" does is to go to the outdoor playground for a lap, while the "Starlight" has a better appetite, goes straight to the outfield to eat breakfast, and eats enough to start a good day.
Pandas are sensitive to temperature. As soon as the temperature rises in the morning, they quickly return to the room to incubate the air conditioner. The air-conditioned room is often equipped with fruit ice, and there are many hanging apple slices in the exhibition area for the giant pandas to eat, which is really delicious and fun.
"Indigenous Africa" was also "defeated"
Some primates that live in cold zones and at high altitudes also need to be redoubled by keepers. The golden snub-nosed monkey is covered in heavy fluff, and in Shanghai, it can be said that it is not afraid of the cold but afraid of the heat. The keepers replaced a batch of old sprayers with poor spraying effect early and installed a full-coverage shade net above the cage to prevent direct sunlight.
Even the "indigenous African" gorillas from the equatorial rainforest, who originally had a natural resistance to sweltering heat and humidity, were killed by the three volt days in Shanghai. Their black fur sucks up enough heat and lies listless all day. It was the indoor air conditioning that "saved" them, and the breeders adjusted the right temperature for them every day, coupled with special vegetable and fruit sticks. Considering the gastrointestinal health of animals, vegetable and fruit sticks are limited to availability depending on temperature conditions.
In addition, the daily recipes of primates have been adjusted accordingly, adding juicy fruits such as tomatoes and watermelons to replenish the water and vitamins they consume.
Bird cages into "holiday villas"
High temperature and low pressure weather is not suitable for some birds, and the heat prevention and cooling measures of birds are also essential. The main measures for preventing and cooling birds are: shade nets, indoor fans, sprays and green plants. Since June, the breeders have successively "renovated" the exhibition areas such as wading birds, hornbills and tropical bird pavilions, and the facilities of many cages have been activated.
The cool cage is like a "holiday villa". The installation of black shade net can effectively reduce direct sunlight and transmittance, while slowing down the raindrops falling directly, reducing the stress caused to animals; the cage room will be very humid in the rainy season, the fan can also accelerate the evaporation of moisture on the ground while ventilation and cooling, effectively reducing indoor humidity; spraying is mainly used for parrot Bundeste, because the parrot has more feather powder, it needs to be cleaned regularly, every time the spray is opened, macaws and sunflower cockatoos will seize the favorable place directly below the spray, spread their wings and shake their heads, wash their heads Other cages will create different small environments by increasing green planting, and dense plants and canopy will screen out most of the direct light, providing shade for peacocks, grey-winged trumpet birds, toucans and so on.
Cold-blooded animals love to squirt
In contrast, the two reptiles are less sensitive to high temperatures and have a much better appetite. But the keepers still gave them the necessary measures to prevent the heat and cool down, all the boxes were equipped with spray devices, and every time the spray was opened, the tortoises and lizards were very excited, stretching their necks to enjoy the shower. In contrast, frogs are more afraid of sweltering heat, and keepers control their room temperature to 25 degrees Celsius, while using LED lights with less heat and small fans to increase air flow.
These days, snakes, frogs, turtles also eat watermelon, but their eating methods are somewhat different, digging out the watermelon core with high sugar content and only eating watermelon peel, and eating with vegetables, both cooling and healthy.
Column Editor-in-Chief: Luan Yinzhi Text Editor: Luan Yinzhi