With the second wave of summer heat reaching record temperatures, not only people suffer from those more than 40 degrees, the rest of the living beings too. Faced with this heat, animals can experience some stress, which is why it is so important to guarantee milder temperatures.

BIOPARC Fuengirola is home to over 200 different species and these days keepers are doing everything they can to ensure all animals are hydrated and cool in the face of this incredibly hot weather.

For this reason, with the arrival of summer, the team starts up again extraordinary measures that guarantee the well-being of animals in this time. One of them is the preparation of diets specifically designed for these months and which include refreshing drinks. ice creams of all flavors and for all tastes: various vegetables and fruits, chopped meat and blood, fish or insects. An ice cream adapted to the needs of each species.

For felines such as tigers or leopards, they enjoy huge poles of ice water mixed with blood and pieces of meat, located in strategic places in the facilities. These enrichments are not only nutritional, but they are also sensory. An enjoyment not only because of the fresh delicacy that lies inside the ice cream, but because they represent a beneficial stimulation for the animal that activates its instincts.

In the case of gorillas, chimpanzees, gibbons or lemurs, the BIOPARC Fuengirola kitchen prepares colorful ice creams or sorbets of beet juice, spinach combined with pieces of other types of vegetables and fruits such as apples, carrots, tomatoes, bananas, watermelon, etc And one of the most curious, the small frozen cubes that meerkats enjoy: worm and grasshopper slushes.

These ice creams are not the main food of the species that BIOPARC Fuengirola houses. They are part of the enrichment with which the Zoology team stimulates the animals: sensory, motor, behavioral, among others.

This protocol also includes the activation of diffusers to cool facilities like that of hornbills or reptiles. In addition, most venues also have with shaded areas, rivers or ponds that allow the animals to cool off whenever they want. For example, during these hot weeks, it is common to see tigers swimming among the fish found in their facility or hippos submerged in their estuaries. Another of the species that most enjoys the waters is the tapir, which spends much of its time under the recreated waterfall. Without a doubt a way to combat the temperatures and cool off throughout the day.

Nearly 150 different diets and more than 100 kilos of food every day

Every day, caregivers prepare more than 130 kilos of diets based on meat, fish, feed, fruits, vegetables or insects, adapted to each species and each individual. Since 2021, part of these foods come from surpluses donated by the El Corte Inglés group, giving a second chance to food products that do not meet the parameters for sale to the public, but are in optimal condition for animal feeding.

The BIOPARC Fuengirola kitchen becomes a key point within the conservation center. In her, The Zoology team organizes and prepares personalized menus. In the case of the winter season, giant pots with broths are the protagonists along with a wide variety of seasonal vegetables and fruits. With the rise in temperatures and the arrival of summer, ice cream becomes the preferred enrichment of some of the species.. Menus made under a food and work protocol, developed under the international guidelines received from the different conservation programs.

In addition to the essential diets prepared in the BIOPARC Fuengirola kitchen, the vigilance of the caregivers to ensure that the needs of each animal are covered. They are in charge of ensuring that the kitchen dishes reach their guests and that, if they need them, extraordinary needs are covered with enrichments such as, for example, the extra contributions that are made in winter or summer.

During the summer months, BIOPARC Fuengirola extends its opening hours, being from 10:00 a.m. to 23:00 p.m. In addition, it incorporates new activities into its programming. This is the case of meetings with caregivers, percussion workshops or African dances.