Drusillas Zoo on the A27 gives animals ice lollies to keep cool

Keepers at Drusillas, in Alfriston, have been pulling out all the stops to protect their animals from the heat by making sure they have access to additional water sources and creating extra shaded areas where they can keep out of the sun.

But some of the keepers have been getting extra creative by creating food-layered ice lollies stacked with ingredients including peanuts, seeds, fresh herbs and even soothing herbal teas.

The squirrel monkeys were not keen (Image: Drusillas)

The park’s troop of cheeky squirrel monkeys were not sure about the icy treats on first inspection but they had lots of fun sliding their lollies around and picking out the nutty treats.

Meanwhile, majestic macaque Lintang delighted in ripping open a bamboo shoot to release the frozen mint tea gems hidden inside.

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These cooling concoctions were also served up to the zoo’s lemurs, who enjoyed bespoke icy snacks containing a colourful combination of peas, sweetcorn and beetroot.

Elsewhere in the zoo animals such as the flamingos have been combating the heat by walking around their waterfall, the capybaras and beavers have been taking long dips in their pool and the red pandas have been napping the day away in the shade of their trees.

Macaque Lintang loved his cold snack (Image: Drusillas)

Zoo section leader Jacinta Dawe said: “We use these ice lollies to keep the animals cool in the heat because animals do not sweat in the same way humans do.

“The animals just want to get their paws on the rewards hidden in the lollies, but as they grab, lick, nibble and break them down, their mouths and paws are cooled. The food inside is carefully measured and taken from their normal daily food allowance so although it’s lots of fun to see them with ice lollies, they still sit within their monitored diets.

“Ice lollies are a great way to keep the animals cool, but they also serve an enrichment purpose as well. Making the animals work for their food in creative ways, helps to stimulate them mentally and physically and forces them to use their instincts to look for food as they would in the wild.”