Most of the residents of the Budapest Zoo are coping with the record-breaking heat quite well.
Everyone was reassured by the spokesperson of the Capital Zoo and Botanical Garden, who said: the animals thank you very much, they feel good even in the sweltering heat.
Since the zoo's existence since 1866, the keepers have prepared for the heat every year.
Zoltán Hanga said that most of the species living in the zoo come from southern and Mediterranean regions, where they are used to the heat.
"Although we often associate penguins with cold environments, the Pope's-eyed penguins living in the Budapest Zoo do not come from the North Pole, but from the southern coast of Africa. Nevertheless, they also enjoy their pool, the shade sails and the humidifier very much," he said.
Several residents of the zoo especially like to play.
The elephants, although they come from a tropical region, like to immerse themselves in their pool in the summer, and the keepers gradually sprinkle them with slag, which they especially like.
The spokesperson added that the animals' habitat is created in such a way that there are sunnier and shadier parts, so the animals can choose between the ideal environment for them.
"Also, most animals have some sort of physiological cooling mechanism, such as sweating, panting, and birds have something called throat flapping, but it's actually used to evaporate water."
In addition to the essential fresh, clean water, the animals are sometimes given frozen treats, but their function is less for cooling, and more for entertainment and environmental enrichment.
They didn't forget to keep visitors cool at the Budapest Zoo: mist gates refresh hikers exhausted from the heat.
As for Lloyd, the polar bear of the Capital Zoo and Botanical Garden, he is already resting in the Nyíregyháza Zoo. Zoltán Hanga revealed that brown bears will move into the enclosure located on the side of Kisszikla after some remodeling.
Cover image: The penguins cool off in the heat
Source: Facebook/Fővárosi Allat- és Névénykert
