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Aleut and Gregor, two polar bear twin brothers
at Prague Zoo in the Czech Republic
role in tons of ice to keep themselves cool
on scorching summer days.
Zookeepers in Prague came up with the idea
as the heat wave sweeps across Europe,
affecting everyone, including animals.
In the first week of July this year,
Prague's usually mild summer
temperatures soared to 37°C.
That is when Prague Zoo came up
with the idea of bringing tons of ice
to keep Arctic animals cool.
We’ve had this project,
called Ice Zoo, since last year.
And sometimes, on days when
the temperatures rise over 30°C here in Prague,
we put a really huge amount
of ice into their enclosure.
And when I am talking about a huge amount,
it's usually around 3,000 kilograms of ice,
just for the polar bears.
And it is a great enrichment for them.
It's something new in their enclosure to explore.
So, they have water; whenever they want to use it.
They can swim all year round.
They have their own icemaker,
which makes ice all day long.
Prague Zoo was established in 1931.
It has 7,000 animals from 700 species.
On average, 1.4 million
people visit Prague Zoo every year.
Filip Masek, spokesperson at Prague Zoo,
says keeping hundreds
of animals and visitors cool
on scorching days is not easy.
It takes a good weather
forecast and a huge workforce
to deliver tons of ice every day.
So usually we order 10 tons of ice for one day.
Almost half of it goes to the polar bears.
But we also give it to other animals
not just from the Arctic areas.
But we usually tend to choose animals
that know snow from their natural habitat.
So we chose the European and American bisons.
We chose the North American otters.
But we have to know it two or three days in advance
because we have to order this huge amount of ice.
Someone has to freeze it,
someone has to bring it here,
and then we have to distribute it.
That is a job for, you know, 30 people at least.
Despite Prague Zoo's measures
to keep animals cool with ice,
many visitors say they are concerned
about species from colder regions
coping with Europe's scorching heat waves.
I think it must be very difficult for them.
Because they are not accustomed
for this kind of weather.
It's about 30°C right now.
I was just wondering how
they actually cope with this heat.
Amidst the sweltering heat wave, people often ask
whether keeping Arctic species in zoos is ethical.
But Filip Masek says having
these animals in the Prague Zoo
is important to keep them from going extinct.
There is this long tradition of keeping the bears.
There's a lot of knowledge also here.
And we really, really need to breed the species.
Because, sadly, in two to three generations,
this species really can go extinct.
So, there is this higher purpose, sort of,
and we are making everything
for these animals to feel comfortable.
Filip, Anita, and the Prague Zoo visitors
hope that the weather across Europe
improves and makes it easier
not just for them but also for the animals,
especially for polar bears.
For now, Aleut and Gregor can roll
and lounge around in tons of ice
as visitors catch a rare
glimpse of the vulnerable species.
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