AC, lassi cool off animals at Vandalur zoo

CHENNAI: Summer is cool. At least for the animals at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur, it appears to be so. The Forest Department officials are leaving no stone unturned to make them comfortable in the sweltering heat.Picture this. The King Cobra, true to its name, leads a regal life in the three-room dark enclosure it occupies. The enclosures are fitted with two one-tonne split AC units. As part of their "summer management", the zoo authorities are taking various efforts to help the animals cope with the heat.About 20 to 25 cages sheltering close to 45 species of pheasants, parakeets and love birds are covered with jute sacks sprayed with water. Water is sprayed thrice a day from hoses from 7 am.The summer management that usually begins by the end of February goes on till mid June depending on the temperature. Officials said seven elephants, which have a large enclosure to move around, not just enjoy an exclusive shower between 3 and 4 pm every day, but also attract numerous visitors, who watch in awe as the pachyderms drench themselves. “This exclusive shower is apart from the usual bath  the animals take every day,” a zoo official said. Other than these giant mammals, two mom and daughter giraffes and three zebras have the luxury of cooling off under sprinklers put up under trees in their enclosures, officials said.The family of six white tigers love to soak themselves into the large water pit within the enclosure. There are numerous shady trees that provide the much needed relief and a cooling effect for siesta. Officials make sure that the water-loving animals have the turf filled throughout the day and night.But luxury is perhaps the forte of the 14-feet-long King Cobra that has an AC room, helping it to break away from the heat outside. This is because the over-a-decade-old reptile belongs to a different weather condition and cannot stand the soaring temperature, officials said. The other four venomous snakes and the three pythons are helped with periodic spraying of water on the sand bed. “Water is sprayed in the mornings on all animals to keep them cool. Sometimes, snakes live inside the clay pots and sometimes inside the small caves we have in every enclosure,” an animal keeper explained.Primates and nine different species of the 170-odd deer population, including the 100-odd sambar deer flock, can relax under thatched huts when the sun hits the zenith. Officials said the four chimpanzees brought in from Singapore are given food that helps them stay healthy in the summer. “We give them lassi, tender coconut, grapes, water melon and cucumber. Greens are also given to the primates. Other than the deer, carnivores and primates are kept inside their cages in the night time. So, primates have closed thatched huts,” an official informed. The Himalayan and sloth bears enjoy frozen food to make them feel at home even in the heat. They also get a lot of environmental enrichment.