Sun cream for pigs and hosepipe for otters at Telford's Exotic Zoo
Keeping the animals cool could be "just as fun for us as it is for the animal," Ms Massey said."[Otters are] really funny and they really love using their hands for stuff. So they'll tend to try and catch the water, rather than try and drink it."So that's always a really fun one to do."
Staff have been also filling paddling pools for meerkats and putting sun cream on pigs.Ms Massey said: "We absolutely love children's padding pools here at the zoo."They're shallow, they're nice and safe, we fill them up with nice cold water and the animals can just do whatever they want."Some will literally sit in them and just stay in them all day. Some will have a little bit of a splash, have a little bit of a drink and just kind of enjoy them."
It's the more domesticated animals who suffer in the hotter weather, the zoo said."One of our male Pygmy goats... he often gets sunburnt on his little pink nose, so we'll come by every morning and blob a little bit on his nose."
Owner Scott Adams said people liked a cold treat to cool them down on a sunny day and the zoo was "doing similar things" for animals."We've been making them some ice lollies with their favourite snacks in it, maybe some fruit, maybe some vegetables and then they've got a bit of enrichment."They've got to break it open to get into their food and then also it's got the nice cooling [effect] of the ice cream and ice lolly." He added: "The animals are enjoying the heat, we're enjoying the heat and as long as it doesn't get too, too hot, I think everybody's gonna be really happy."
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