'Water your parrots': Top tips for staying cool from Lincolnshire Wildlife Park

With temperatures around Lincolnshire hitting record highs, a wildlife park near the coast has found the perfect way of keeping its birds and animals cool.
By Chrissie Redford
Published 19th Jul 2022, 15:49 BST
Updated 19th Jul 2022, 15:49 BST
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Water hoses have been connected around Lincolnshire Wildlife Park and the enclosures are being sprayed regularly throughout the day.

Baths have also been provided in enclosures where there are no natural ponds, fruit ice lollies are ready and waiting and all the mammals at the park already have natural enclosures full of tree coverage and natural ponds for cooling off in.

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No animal is ever locked in or out and always has the choice of where they would like to be throughout the day, with lighting turned off indoors, fans installed and thermometers constantly monitoring the temperature.

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Birds and animals are keeping cool at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park.Birds and animals are keeping cool at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park.
Birds and animals are keeping cool at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park.

There is no way the staff will let them become overheated.

Reassurance has been given after supporters of the charity raised concerns about how the park was going to keep the birds and animals cool.

Photos of the Lemurs and Marmosets eating fruit lollies have been shared on social media, along with pictures of Zuri the black leopard with an ice hessian sack, parrots enjoying a shower and the meerkats bobbing for apples.

Staff say this will continue and has always been a part of the keepers summer preparations for many years at the park.

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CEO Steve Nichols said: “It’s not just the animals and birds that we must consider during these times, the staff are having to work out in this heat to provide their care; they can’t just go home to cool off or sit in the shade when their role is so important for the welfare of the animals.

"Luckily we serve fresh whippy ice-creams, so I think that helped a bit!”

FACTFILE

Lincolnshire Wildlife Park in Dickonhill Road, Friskney, was founded in early 1997. The park also more recently launched The National Turtle Sanctuary in 2019, to provide long term care for freshwater turtles and terrapins, often found dumped in our waterways; now housing over 400 rehomed turtles.The centre is now recognised as one of the world’s leaders in the world of parrots and the largest collection of Bengal Tigers in Europe. Over 100 species of parrot live at the sanctuary along with many rescued exotic animals from the pet trade.