Zoo animals seek relief from heatwave
Tuesday, 1 July 2025
Elephants take a cooling bath, rhinos enjoy a mud pool, and lions devour frozen meat ‘popsicles’. The animals and zookeepers at Royal Burgers' Zoo are coping well with the relentless heatwave currently affecting the Netherlands. The Arnhem Zoo explains how the animal enclosures are prepared for a variety of climatic conditions.
Refreshment and cooling
During prolonged temperature spikes, such as during a heat wave, many animal species seek cooling in their enclosures, and the zookeepers offer refreshing enrichment. Burgers' Zoo's Asian elephants take regular baths, and the zookeepers have installed a mud pool in the rhino enclosure where the thick-skinned animals can enjoy a cooling mud bath.
Frozen rose petals and meat ‘popsicles’
Zookeepers treat giraffes to frozen rose petals as ‘popsicles’. The sun bears and panthers have a cooling water mist sprayed into their enclosure. Predators such as tigers and lions are offered frozen meat as a cool treat. The challenge of holding on to these tasty snacks with patience and determination is both stimulating and refreshing on hot days.
Enclosure design
The design of the animal enclosures also takes into account the variety of climatic conditions that can occur in the Netherlands. Our drafters and designers always include shelters in animal enclosures to protect against wind and weather, and pay close attention to the needs and natural behaviour of each species. Fresh drinking water must be readily available, for example, and the animals have a variety of options regarding where, how long, and when to stay.
