Keeping Visitors and Animals Cool

As the UK heatwave is expected to hit peak temperatures we are working to keep humans and animals cool!

Blue skies and sunshine are expected at the zoo for the next few days as the UK heatwave is dueto hit a peak on Monday with temperatures of over 30°C. Therefore, we are sharing ways to keep our visitors, staff and of course our animals cool.

Animals at the zoo are looked after by our expert keepers who are providing some fantastic cooling enrichment for them. This includes animal friendly ice lollies, cooling showers, mud wallows and more.

“Here at Noah’s Ark animal welfare is our top priority and we give a little extra help to our animals to help keep them cool and just like us they benefit from having an ice lolly on a hot day. It helps them cool down and many of the ice lollies have tasty treats inside which enriches their day on that level too.” Said Chris, Curator.

The African elephants at the zoo at Wraxall have been making full use of their built-in showers and outdoor pool - having a trunk always comes in handy.

Visitors at the zoo are enjoying the bright blue skies during their visits. However, we have provided a number of ways to help keep guests cool during this hot weather:

• Welly splash pool – a perfectly fun way to cool off children and adults alike!
• Water bottle refilling – bring a water bottle with you and fill up at our water bottle refilling stations. These are available at most of our hand washing stations around the zoo.
• Marquees and indoor areas to retreat from the sun, including inside the Elephant house, picnic areas under marquees, Ark Arena and indoor play areas.
• Ice cream and ice cool treats – Delicious traditional dairy ice cream available to purchase from our food outlets. We also stock cool soft drinks, family favourite ice creams (including dairy free options) and ice cool slushies!

“We welcome everyone to have a great day out here at Noah’s Ark and we all love this fantastic weather. As a zoo we have added water bottle refill stations and marquees, but we also ask that you are sensible and think about ways to keep yourselves safe in this hot weather ensuring you wear sun cream and sun hats. Of course, it’s always great to have an ice cream to cool down too!’ Said David, Customer Operations Manager.

Top tips for visitors

• Stay hydrated
• Wear a sun hat
• Wear loose fitting clothing
• Take regular breaks from the sun
• Wear sun cream

Whilst it is warm we politely remind guests to wear appropriate footwear for the zoo and make sure that those using play areas have their skin covered.