Animals at Belfast Zoo are keeping cool with dips in the pool and popsicles to beat the heat

While it hasn't just been warm for us over the last few weeks - our pets and some of our favourite animals at Belfast Zoo have also been trying to stay cool too.

Did you ever wonder then how zookeepers look after the animals when the temperatures are soaring?

Well, they are finding creative ways to make sure everyone is comfortable and safe.

In the elephant enclosure, the dedicated keepers are helping to keep them cool by hosing them down with cold water as temperatures reach double digits.

Other animals are receiving specially-prepared food-filled ice blocks to nibble, while penguins can lie against ice blocks brought to them by their keepers.

Of course, basking in the sunshine comes naturally to the Californian sea lions at the Zoo. They just love soaking up the rays.

Some of the animals know instinctively how to stay cool and beat the heat by dusting themselves down with dirt or rolling in muddy waters.

The sprinklers and pools are in high demand at Belfast Zoo.

Andrew Hope is one of the curators at the Zoo. He said they try and provide as much shade in the enclosures as possible to ensure all the animals are safe.

“Our temperatures don’t get that excessive and most of our animals actually like the heat a little bit so you will see a lot of our animals lying out and sunbathing when the sun shines.

"Most of them are quite adaptable to our temperatures, they like a bit of sunshine, they like a bit of heat.

"We make sure the animals can get away from sunshine if they need to.

"Occasionally we give them things like ice pops and nice treats just to make sure they stay hydrated and it’s just another way of enriching their lives and also giving them something to cool down if they need to."

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