Coolers help zoo animals beat heat

BHUBANESWAR - Coolers and water sprinklers are being used at Orissa’s Nandankanan zoo to protect animals from heat as several towns recorded 35-38 degrees Celsius temperature.

“Coolers have been installed in the enclosures of Squirrel monkey and Orangutan as they are prone to heat wave attack,” zoo deputy director S.K. Mohapatra told IANS.

“All water tanks have been repaired and filled with sufficient water which is changed every day. We also sprinkle water in select enclosures including those of tigers,” he said.

Nandankanan zoo on the outskirts of the state capital is home to 11 white tigers. It also has 1,200 reptiles, birds and mammals and 424 species of plants of 87 families.