Safari park helps animals beat the heat

Cooling-off measures have been introduced at a safari park in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, to help the animals survive the summer heat.

At Guangzhou Chimelong Safari Park, home to the world's only panda triplets, giant pandas have tried traditional herbal tea and custom-made ice cream and cake while sleeping over blocks of ice.

Hippopotamuses play in water ponds, happily opening their mouths wide and eating watermelon. In addition to having a fruit feast, ice cubes are also favored by animals, according to the safari park.

The park will continue to monitor the animals and take appropriate cooling-off measures depending on their living habits. For example, for large animals such as Asian elephants, there is a large water pool in which they can take a bath, with mud and sand inside to play with and help them prevent heatstroke.

"For animals with thick fur, such as black bears and sun bears, ice cubes will be prepared for them to cool down," said Chen Siming, an animal caretaker at the safari park.

Air conditioning facilities and electric fans have also been installed in various places, with physical cooling and dietary therapy methods being widely used in the park, Chen said.