Air conditioning, foggers, shaded areas… Beauval Zoo is equipped to keep animals safe.
While a heat wave hits the whole country, animals, as well as people, suffer from this heat wave. For the ZooParc de Beauval, where temperatures will reach 40°C on Saturday June 18, according to La Chaîne Météo, no panic on the horizon, the park is equipped to deal with these seasonal events. “This heat wave does not scare us, we have already experienced that of 2003 or more recently that of 2019“says to the Figaro park director Rodolphe Delord. “Normally this episode ends on Sunday, we are used to it“, he adds.
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Safe animals
«Our facilities are designed to compensate for the heat“says Rodolphe Delord. Air conditioning, foggers for animals and visitors, watering, shaded areas… Everything is in place in this zoo, which welcomes 2 million visitors each year, to ensure that the animals are safe.
Like humans, animals are sensitive to the sun’s rays and can be victims of sunstroke or sunburn. Among the 35,000 people living in the park, many do not like the heat. This is the case for the koalas which will not be going out this weekend: they will remain in their air-conditioned greenhouse. The elephants will be able to refresh themselves thanks to the water points made available to them. “They can use sand and mud to protect themselves, it acts as sunscreen“explains the director.
A very specific program is reserved for giant pandas, which cannot stand heat above 28°C. “They will go out very early in the morning, and as soon as it is 26°C, they will start to come back. Large air-conditioned houses are provided for this purpose.“, he says. And don’t worry for visitors, bay windows let you see the animals.
“We don’t skimp on resources”
In addition to the technical installations, the teams offer blocks of ice, made up of water, sugar or meat. “We also make sure that their food is moistened so that they are well hydrated. Monkeys, for example, eat branches, so we water the trees“, details Rodolphe Delord.
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«The animals are constantly under surveillance, they are our priority, we do not skimp on the means», assures the director. The ZooParc de Beauval has 180 animal caretakers, including seven veterinarians and five veterinary assistants available 24 hours a day.