Crunchy Ice Fruit-Eating Monkeys and How Elephants Endure the Heatwave

Summer at Gwangju Uchi Zoo

On the 2nd, when the daytime high temperature rose to 35 degrees Celsius and a heatwave warning was issued, the Uchi Zoo in Buk-gu, Gwangju held a summer event for animals where keepers gave seasonal fruits and ice treats to the animals starting from 2 p.m.

Yonhap News reported on the 2nd how various animals were enduring the heatwave. The 26-year-old mother elephant 'Bongi' and her 14-year-old daughter 'Woori' stretched out their long trunks toward the keeper as if asking to spray water as soon as possible. When cold water was poured, they opened their mouths to drink it or lay down on the ground to enjoy cold water friction.

On the afternoon of the 2nd, when a heatwave warning was issued, a ring-tailed lemur at Uchi Zoo in Buk-gu, Gwangju, is eating fruit frozen in ice.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

After a shower, seasonal summer fruits such as watermelon, pineapple, and sugarcane were provided. The mother and daughter elephants wrapped the fruits with their trunks and ate them in one gulp, then, as if reluctant, consumed every piece of fallen watermelon without leaving any behind. A child who came to see the elephants with their mother looked on in amazement, saying, "The elephants are taking a shower."

The elephant keeper said, "As soon as they hear the words watermelon or pineapple, they run straight over," adding, "Even elephants can suffer from heatstroke, so we manage their diet and schedule carefully to prevent heat-related illnesses."

On the afternoon of the 2nd, when a heatwave warning was issued, a brown-tailed macaque at Uchi Zoo in Buk-gu, Gwangju, is eating an ice treat containing fruit.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The monkeys played with ice fruits hanging on ropes made of Shine Muscat grapes, watermelon, and melon to beat the heat. Although hesitant to approach the unfamiliar ice fruits at first, once they felt the coolness, the whole family touched and tasted the ice together, enjoying relief from the heat. The ring-tailed lemurs were also served a summer fruit platter including watermelon, kiwi, and Shine Muscat grapes. One of them closed its eyes gently and savored the cool mango as it entered its mouth.

The smallest, the squirrel monkeys, enjoyed the cold by touching the ice fruits here and there with their fern-like hands.

To protect the animals' health in the hot weather, Uchi Zoo operates air conditioners indoors and provides special meals such as eel for aquatic animals and protein-rich raw liver for carnivores.

On the afternoon of the 2nd, when a heatwave warning was issued, an Asian elephant is taking a cold water shower at Uchi Zoo in Buk-gu, Gwangju.
Photo by Yonhap News

Park Ja-yoon, head of the Animal Welfare Team at Uchi Park, told Yonhap News, "We hope visitors to Uchi Park can overcome the heat together by watching the animals' cute summer coping behaviors."

Meanwhile, the Korea Meteorological Administration issued heatwave warnings at 10 a.m. on the 2nd for 8 locations in Gyeonggi, 6 in Gangwon, and 4 in Gyeongnam. This expanded the total number of heatwave warning areas nationwide to 161. Heatwave warnings are issued when the highest perceived temperature exceeds 35 degrees Celsius for two or more consecutive days or when significant damage from the heat is expected.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.