Hi friends, it’s Doireann Ferris back again.
Here in Bifengxia the temperature has reached a scorching 34 degrees Celsius (93° Fahrenheit) and getting hotter every day! As a fair-skinned Irish person I’m surprised I haven’t melted away or spontaneously combusted in this heat! As hot as it is for us humans, now imagine walking around all day with a lusciously thick fur coat on. That’s what the pandas are going through right now, but never fear PDXWildlife is here to help!
So how do we cool these adorable creatures down? We give each panda blocks of ice with treats of fruit inside. Ice-blocks are an excellent way for pandas to cool down during the Chinese summer and, of course, the pandas absolutely love them!
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- Su Shan
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- Shen Bin
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- Xi Dou
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- Xi Xi
You can observe the different personality types of each panda when they are given these giant ice-pops. Some pandas will pick up the ice-block and rub it all over their head and body whilst some will just lie on top of it. Others will try to get at the fruit pieces first. They can break the block apart by biting it or picking it up and dropping it on the ground so that it smashes open. Pretty intelligent technique!
As well as keeping pandas cool on warm days, ice-blocks are used as a source or enrichment. Enrichment plays a vital role in maintaining the welfare of animals in captivity. Ice blocks engage the pandas in a stimulated and positive way without disrupting their feeding habits. Ice blocks are often given to pandas to celebrate their birthday each year, but PDXWildlife provides ice-blocks regularly, you can never have too much of a good thing!
