The male Himalayan bear at the Thiruvananthapuram zoo munches on frozen watermelon just before noon on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: S. MAHINSHA
Kohima swiftly the block of ice-encased watermelon placed in his enclosure. After all, he is a Himalayan bear, one of the pair at the city zoo. Then, he concentrates on the fruit, savouring every bite, looking up only occasionally. When nearly through, he gets up, gives its back a good rub against the walls, and paces back and forth a little before standing on his hind feet, putting up a show for anyone who cares to click him. The frozen fruit seems to have put the black Kohima in a good mood.
Kohima’s neighbours, the sloth bears are not as lucky to get iced watermelon. They just get supplied the plain one. No wonder they do not seem as amiable as the Himalayan bear.
Kohima and his female partner Dimapur best exemplify the special treatment the zoo animals receive as mercury soars. Between them, they require 4.5 kg of watermelon alone. Besides iced watermelon, they are fed plain watermelon, grapes, bananas, cucumber, rice mixed with honey, and so on.
Diet chart
The zoo authorities have adopted a slew of measures to help reduce heat-related stress experienced by animals and birds. A significant one is the tweaking of diet charts.
Animals such as gaur, nilgai, spotted deer and sambar deer are now fed more quantity of greens, such as grass and spinach leaves, and Bengal and green gram sprouts, and reduced amount of cattle feed. Fruit and leaves intake have been increased for some animals, including monkey, and birds.
The meat intake of big cats has seen a cut, but they are given varied fare, such as chicken.
Fans and sprinklers
Dietary changes apart, animal enclosures too are going through a change with the advent of summer. Fans and sprinklers have been set up to reduce the heat and make the animals more comfortable. There are fans in enclosures of birds, such as ostrich, and bears. In enclosures without fans, the inhabitants are closely monitored for heat stress. If they show any symptoms, then fans are switched on.
While the reticulated python or the red sand boa do not need fans at the moment, the two anacondas have been housed in air-conditioned enclosures. Plants have been planted in the snake enclosures. Sprinklers have been installed in the enclosures of nilgai and rhea that has very little green canopy. The sand in the enclosures once sprayed with water provides the birds a cooler environment.
Gaur, sambar deer, hippos, rhino have ponds for them to loll about for long hours. The enclosures of gaur, lion-tailed macaque and the aviary have waterfalls that help mainitain a cool microclimatic environment. Moats and small tanks also help the monkeys and bears survive the heat.
Once they are washed in the morning, the enclosures remain cool for a while. Animals such as bears and the big cats are hosed down twice a day. Sufficient drinking water too is ensured in enclosures.
The green cover of the the nearly 36-acre zoo offers comfort against the sizzling heat. Yet, wild plants and other vegetation near the enclosures are regularly watered to keep up the cooling effect, say zoo officials.
