Cotswold Wildlife Park keepers give animals unusal ice cream

The park shared that staff have been working overtime to ensure animals are more adjusted to cooler temperatures didn’t overheat during the recent heatwave.

Tapirs receiving their ‘ice lollies’ (Image: Cotswold Wildlife Park)

Cotswold Wildlife Park also celebrated the first hatch days of their penguin chicks.

Oreo, Beryl and Pippin, who were from last year’s breeding season, had a frozen fish cake to celebrate.

Penguins enjoying the cold water (Image: Cotswold Wildlife Park)

Perdi, the youngest of the four chicks bred last year, is a little younger than the others, so keepers will wait until later this summer to celebrate her hatch day.

The Humboldt Penguins, native to Chile and Peru, are used to small temperatures, but to help keep them cool, bird keeper Laura also switches on the sprinkler in their pool.

READ MORE: Care service ‘requires improvement’ after CQC inspection

Emus keeping cool (Image: Cotswold Wildlife Park)

Some bask under the refreshing spray, while others dive in and swim beneath it.

Chris Kibbey, assistant animal manager at Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens, said: “With the hottest temperatures ever recorded for May, keepers have been working extra hard to ensure the animals they care for stay cool.

Binturong enjoying a frozen fruit (Image: Cotswold Wildlife Park)

“As well as ensuring they have access to fresh drinking water, shade and cool indoor areas, keepers have been using their culinary skills to create unique flavoured ice lollies for some of the animals using all natural ingredients, many taken from their normal diet.

“The keepers always enjoy giving these treats to the animals, and it’s a good excuse to spend time cooling off in the walk-in freezer.”