Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India]: Kankaria Zoo in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad has made special arrangements to protect animals from rising temperatures by installing water sprinklers and coolers, an official said.
Speaking to Media, Dr R K Shau, Kankaria Zoo Director said, “Every year during the summer season we make special arrangements for the animal inmates. Lots of trees are planted in the zoo. Apart from providing shade, they help in water evaporation that leads to coolness. Besides that, we also installed 25 coolers in the zoo this time also.” Industrial coolers that provide heavy airflow and coolness are an addition, he said.
“For places exposed to the sun, we have used green nets. These nets do not allow infrared rays of the Sun to pass through, which results in a decrease of at least 6-8 degrees. We also have tasked people, animal keepers and other employees, to sprinkle water on time. Kaneria Lake is located near the zoo, and the air blowing in from the lakeside leads to coolness,” he added.
Describing the arrangements, the Director said that special Geothermal aeration has been installed in the Nocturnal Zoo.
“Under this system, air is sucked in the surroundings in the pipe 30 feet below the ground and when the air is released, the temperature changes around plus 8 to minus 8 degrees, and releases cold breeze in summer and hot air in winter. In the whole nation, it is the first time we have installed a geothermal aeration system,” he said.
“In the snake house, we have installed coolers and connected coolers to the pipelines and made a duct there which provides the snake a hot-humid environment”, Dr Shau added.
Kankaria Zoo Director also said that during the summer season, mammals’ diets are decreased and reptiles’ diets are increased. “we increase the feeding of reptiles and decrease the feeding of the mammal,” he said.
“All the animals in the zoo are 24 hours under observation. When the temperature increase drastically we put anti-stress medicine in the water that will protect the animal from the hot wind. Special arrangements are being made in the Ahmedabad Zoo to protect the animals from the rising temperature in the summer so that they will remain healthy,” Dr Shau added.
