On Tuesday, the Rio de Janeiro zoo distributed meat paste, blood, and fruit popsicles to several animals at the BioParque to help them cope with the record heat the Brazilian city is experiencing for the third consecutive day. The popsicles were given to both large felines and primates, who make up the majority of the animals at the BioParque, a 50,000-square-meter zoo located in the Quinta de Boa Vista, a historic park in Rio de Janeiro. Jaguars, spectacled bears, otters, wolves, and monkeys were among the animals that enjoyed the activity on Tuesday, an event organized annually by the zoo during the summer and open to the press and visitors. "This is an environmental welfare activity aimed at providing a thermal refreshment for the animals on these hotter days," said Rio BioParque's welfare biologist, Leticia Feitosa. The public-facing activity coincided with a period when Rio de Janeiro is facing record-breaking heat, with temperatures reaching 41 degrees Celsius on Monday and Tuesday, the highest of the current austral summer. While large carnivorous mammals enjoyed popsicles made of ground meat or blood—the former for jaguars, the latter for the maned wolf (a wolf species typical of the Brazilian savanna)—the spectacled bear devoured one made of melon, enjoying it while in its pool, while monkeys received others prepared with fruits. The specialist explained that climate change has become a cause for concern as it threatens some species and forces zoos to adapt to meet the animals' needs. The city was also the first Brazilian capital to face temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius this year, and the state of Rio de Janeiro was the setting on Monday for nine of the ten hottest places in Brazil. "In our enclosures, we offer them shaded areas and sunny spots so they can choose, as well as pools for the species that enjoy them," she said. Authorities declared a Level 3 heat alert on Monday, which is issued when temperatures between 36 and 40 degrees Celsius are recorded for three consecutive days with a forecast of an increase.
Rio Zoo Gives Animals Frozen Treats to Beat the Heat
The Rio de Janeiro zoo distributed meat, blood, and fruit popsicles to animals to help them cope with a third consecutive day of record-breaking heat. This annual event is part of an environmental welfare program for extreme temperatures.
