WATCH: Fota’s rhinos are enjoying GIANT ice lollies during the heatwave
It’s properly sweltering at Fota Wildlife Park today.
But the Indian rhinos are enjoying a special hot-weather treat in their enclosure: enormous ice lollies made of frozen water, greens and veggies.
While the Indian rhino is currently listed as vulnerable by the IUCN—with only about 3,300 left in the wild— special resident Maya in Cork is living her absolute best life:
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To beat the heat, wild Indian rhinos usually restrict their activity to the cooler parts of the day, spending the peak hours wallowing in water or mud holes. At Fota Wildlife Park, Maya the rhino has the exact same routine. When she isn’t lolling about in her massive enclosure pond, she has plenty of shady mud patches to bask in.
With temperatures soaring, the Fota team recently shared a glimpse of her heatwave routine on Instagram:
“We’re all enjoying the heatwave this week and our rangers are making sure the animals are too with special enrichment like treats in the water and ice for Indian rhino Maya from our ranger Ceili,” they posted.
The park has also announced the birth of two critically endangered black-and-white ruffed lemur babies, born in April to first-time mother Romy and father Iray, following a gestation period of 102 days.
Picture: Michael O’Sullivan / OSM PHOTO
Like all lemur species, the black-and-white ruffed lemur is native to the island of Madagascar and is now considered one of the most threatened primates on earth.
According to rangers, the two little ones are thriving and already venturing into the tunnel that connects their house to their island habitat, where they can be spotted sunbathing with their parents.
Fota Wildlife Park is open daily from 9.30am – don’t forget to pack sunscreen and a hat if you’re heading down for a look.
