Scorching Heat Hits Furry Animals Hard... Panting Despite Special Ice Treats

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Amid consecutive heatwaves, not only people but also animals are exhausted and losing energy. Zoos are paying closer attention to their care by preparing special treats like ice and fruits.

Reporter Yoo Soo-Hwan captured the summer-defying scenes of the animals.

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Under the blazing sun, a tiger walks slowly.

It is Seolho, a 2-year-old who is the youngest of the seven Siberian tigers.

Discovering cool ice, the tiger sticks out its tongue to beat the heat.

Together with its mother, it quickly snatches a fish hidden among the ice blocks.

[Seoul Grand Park Zookeeper: Because it is a baby, it is playing with it.]

Seoul Grand Park prepared these special treats to boost the vitality of the tigers exhausted by the relentless heatwave and to encourage underwater hunting.

[Park Hyun-jin / Seoul Grand Park Zookeeper: Because the weather is hot, you can see (the animals) entering the water, looking for shade, or showing a clear decrease in movement. From a human perspective, we can observe behavior that almost looks like mounting irritation.]

For the Asiatic black bear Aoung, whose entire body is covered in black fur, this summer is also a ordeal.

A table of ice bingsu filled with seasonal fruits and frozen fish was served.

Taking a spot, the bear grabs an oriental melon and begins a "mukbang" (eating broadcast).

Elephants have a slightly different way of beating the heat.

As soon as they come out of their enclosure, they head straight for the red clay.

Using their long trunks, they scatter sand all over their bodies and enjoy a red clay bath.

Mud is the elephants' natural sunscreen, protecting their skin from the hot sun.

When watermelons are delivered, Japanese macaques flock from everywhere.

Some quickly grab one and run away as if someone might steal it, while others claim the coolest spot on top of the ice.

The special food items, including fruits and vegetables totaling 930 kg provided by Seoul Grand Park to 16 animal houses today (August 7), were prepared through companion funds and donations raised by citizens.

(Camera Reporter: Joo Beom, Kim Heung-ki | Video Editing: Park Na-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.