Rome zoo cools lions down with meat-flavored lollies

A handout picture taken and released on August 21, 2012 by the Bioparco di Roma shows a tiger licking ice in downtown Rome’s bioparco Zoo on August 21, 2012, as a heatwave hits most of Europe this week. AFP PHOTO / BIOPARCO DI ROMA / M. Di Giovanni

ROME—Giant meat-flavored ice lollies for the tigers and lions and frozen fruit and watermelons for the monkeys: Rome’s main zoo is resorting to some resourceful methods to battle the current heatwave.

With temperatures hitting nearly 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Italian capital, zookeepers said in a statement on Tuesday that they were trying to help some of the 1,000 animals “confront the torrid heat.”

Tigers and lions can be seen pawing at that giant lollies about the size of the carnivores’ heads, while monkeys are being given bamboo canes filled with yoghurt and frozen fruit as well as watermelons to cool themselves down.

“These tools are also a way of enriching their environment and allow the animals to sharpen their skills at finding food,” the zookeepers said.