The heat wave has also arrived to Terra Natura Benidorm. The veterinary team has activated this morning the protocol to fight the high temperatures that are unusual in the month of June and can affect certain species of the park.

The action includes prevention measures so the animals can be better with the high temperatures; zoo keepers give elephants, rhinos and primates fruit ice blocks to refresh them. For these species ice blocks are made with fruits such as watermelon, apple and pineapple and contain other ingredients like cereals (corn, wheat and barley) and pipes to provide more nutrients to these ice desserts.
For rhinos and elephants, large blocks of ice of 10 kilos are prepared with fruits and cereals inside. For primates, small ice lolly are made with different types of fruit.
With these frozen desserts, we want to get two objectives. On the one hand, these species are cool when they eat cold food and, on the other hand, they discover new textures and sensations, which has a positive impact on their well-being.
Depending the species, they give the ice fruit in one way or another. For primates are placed at different points in their meadow so they can look for them and encourage their senses, but for elephants or rhinos, the ice-fruit block is offered directly to the animal in their pool so they can enjoy in the water while tasting the ice fruit block.