Amid a searing heatwave in Maharashtra, the sloth bears in the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan And Zoo (Byculla Zoo)  are enjoying watermelon popsicles provided by keepers to keep him and other animals cool. 

According to the zoo authority, the ice popsicles given to the animals during the summer season are helping them to get through the heatwave. 

Abhishek Satam, a zoologist at the Byculla Zoo, said, “We make ice popsicles using different eatables such as meat, seasonal fruit, and fish, depending on the animal`s diet. For animals like sloth bears, hippopotamus, elephants, and monkeys we provide them seasonal fruits like jackfruit and watermelon to eat. While for aquatic birds we have fish popsicles, and for carnivorous animals, we have meat popsicles. These ice popsicles are only made during the summer seasons every year as it helps the animals to survive in the heat and keep them hydrated.”

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Besides stocking up food according to the animal`s diet, a few of the seasonal fruits that grow inside the zoo are given to the animals to eat. 

As per the official, enough quantity of flowing water in the water bodies in individual cages/areas of each animal, is helping the animals to cool themselves and play in the water whenever they want to. 

While for the past 15 days, Mumbai has faced water scarcity issues, the zoo was able to provide sufficient water to the animals from the three British-era well situated inside the zoo. 

According to the official, the water supplied from BMC as well as from the British-era wells is used in the zoo regularly.  

“The three wells are connected to all the cages in the zoo and as per the need, we supply water to the water bodies regularly. Due to this, we never faced water crisis issues inside the zoo,” said Satam.

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