Zoos across the U.S. and United Kingdom are providing frozen treats to animals to help them manage record-breaking summer temperatures.
These cooling measures are critical because extreme heatwaves cause heat stress in captive animals, necessitating active intervention from zookeepers to maintain animal health and welfare.
In Texas, the El Paso Zoo provided "blood-sicles" and tea-pops to help hundreds of species [3] cope with the weather, a report from July 2 said [1]. The use of these frozen snacks serves as both a cooling mechanism and a form of behavioral enrichment.
Similar efforts are appearing across the U.S. In Missouri, the Saint Louis Zoo provided icy treats to grizzly bears [1]. In Tennessee, the Memphis Zoo shared footage on June 30 [2] showing grizzly bears and wolves cooling off with frozen snacks.
Other facilities have adopted similar strategies to mitigate the heat. The Oakland Zoo in California and the ZSL London Zoo in the United Kingdom have also deployed icy treats to keep animals like zebras cool [4, 5].
Zookeepers use these frozen items to lower the core body temperature of animals that cannot easily regulate heat in high-temperature environments. By freezing nutrient-rich foods or water, facilities can provide a source of hydration that lasts longer than liquid water, which often evaporates or is consumed quickly during a heatwave.
“Zoos across the U.S. and United Kingdom are providing frozen treats to animals to help them manage record-breaking summer temperatures.”
The widespread adoption of 'cooling enrichment' across international zoos reflects the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme heat events. As summer temperatures reach record levels, traditional shade and water pools may be insufficient, forcing zoological institutions to implement more active, food-based thermoregulation strategies to prevent heat-related illnesses in diverse species.
