ZSL Gives Lions Frozen Blood Ice Blocks to Beat Heat
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- ZSL provides frozen blood‑based ice blocks, sometimes spiced or with edible treats, to its big cats—lions and Sumatran tigers—at London Zoo to cool them and stimulate natural hunting behaviour.
- Chester Zoo reports that its dusky pademelons lick their wrists for evaporative cooling, while aardvarks and African crested porcupines retreat to underground burrows during hot weather.
- ZSL uses misting systems and fans in the Humboldt penguin habitat at London Zoo, which also boasts England’s largest penguin pool, to lower ambient temperature on scorching days.
- ZSL offers fruit‑and‑vegetable ice lollies to chimpanzees, bears and red pandas, and sugar‑free fruit‑tea ice blocks to gorillas, expanding cooling options beyond big cats.
- Dr Nick Davis, mammals general manager at Chester Zoo, notes that species such as eastern black rhinos, capybaras and Asian elephants cool off by wallmerging in mud wallows or pools, illustrating varied heat‑mitigation strategies across zoos.
Why it matters: During the hot bank holiday weekend, ZSL’s frozen blood ice blocks keep lions and tigers cool, reducing heat‑related stress and helping the zoo maintain high animal‑welfare standards that attract visitors.
