Seoul Grand Park Offers Special Meals to Animals Exhausted by Heat
Ice Beds and Ice Pools Provided in Predator Enclosure
Due to the scorching heat exceeding 30 degrees Celsius on the 25th, which led to heatwave warnings across the country, Seoul Grand Park provided nutritional special meals to animals exhausted by the heat.
Seoul Grand Park announced on the 25th, as reported by Yonhap News, that it will offer various special meals such as watermelon and live rockfish to animals struggling with the heat. This year, the period for providing nutritional special meals has been extended to three days (July 24?26). In previous years, special meals were provided for only one day annually. The special meal event is organized to boost the immunity of animals during the summer and help them overcome heat stress to stay healthy.
The summer special menu was prepared differently for each animal. Carnivores with hunting instincts are supplied with live prey and high-protein snacks. In the carnivore enclosure where tigers reside, an ice bed and a swimming pool with large floating ice blocks were created, and pig backbones were provided as a special meal. Seoul Zoo hung the pig backbones on trees to encourage tigers to engage in more diverse activities.
At the marine pavilion, home to spotted seals and otariids, live rockfish and iced mackerel were prepared as special meals. This encourages marine animals to hunt live fish, enhancing their activity levels. The large animal pavilion waterfall, where three Asian elephants live, sprays cool water to help the elephants cool down. For the elephants, large ice fruits such as watermelon are supplied as special treats. Along with providing special meals, the existing diet of hay and basic feed will be adjusted to maintain nutritional balance. Hippos are given fruit cakes supplying vitamins, protein, and fat, as well as slightly frozen slushies made from watermelon and papaya.
In addition to providing special meals, Seoul Grand Park plans to maintain nutritional balance by adjusting existing diets and will check animal health as needed to help animals have a healthy summer. Choi Hong-yeon, director of Seoul Grand Park, said, "This summer, with the hot and humid weather, we will help animals exhausted by the heat strengthen their immunity and relieve stress through nutritious special meals. We will continue to pay attention so that animals living in the zoo can eat a variety of foods and stay healthier."
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