These adorable pictures show the animal residents of Tayto Park enjoying cool treats in the glorious sunshine.
The zookeepers at one of Ireland's most popular tourist attractions whipped up a bunch of iced treats as temperatures soared to a scorching 30C.
Animals don’t perspire in the same way as humans, so iced food using animal feed such as fresh fruit or vegetables ensures they stay hydrated.
They are also a great way for animals to absorb extra water and keep them hydrated during warm weather.
Deputy Zoo Manager at Tayto Park, Aisling Power said: “In Ireland, we’re just not used to extreme heat and that includes some of our species at the Tayto Park Zoo.
"Many of our primates enjoy year round temperatures of up to 23 or 24 degrees in their indoor habitats, but for all the animals, our main focus in the summer months is keeping them cool and offering them lots of opportunities for shade”.
"Frozen popsicles made using the animals' diet, such as fresh fruit or vegetables, is a very popular choice with our zookeepers who get very creative with how they present these colourful treats!
"Even our resident pigs have special sunscreen applied daily to protect them against the sun."
