– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

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.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
zoo /zuː/ A1	noun - a place where animals are kept for public viewing
ice /aɪs/ A1	noun - frozen water verb - to freeze something
heat /hiːt/ A2	noun - high temperature or hot weather
wave /weɪv/ A2	noun - a surge or series of similar events verb - to move or signal with a movement
cool /kuːl/ A2	adjective - moderately cold verb - to become or make something less hot
animal /ˈænɪməl/ A1	noun - a living organism that feeds on organic matter
species /ˈspiːʃiz/ B2	noun - a group of living organisms with similar characteristics
zookeeper /ˈzuːˌkiːpər/ B1	noun - a person who takes care of animals in a zoo
soar /sɔːr/ B2	verb - to rise rapidly to a great height
enrichment /ɪnˈrɪtʃmənt/ C1	noun - the process of improving or enhancing something
icemaker /ˈaɪsˌmeɪkər/ C1	noun - a machine or person that makes ice
extinction /ɪkˈstɪŋkʃən/ B2	noun - the state or process of a species ceasing to exist
breed /briːd/ B2	verb - to keep animals for their young or reproduce noun - a variety of animal or plant
cope /koʊp/ B1	verb - to deal successfully with a difficult situation
scorching /ˈskɔːrtʃɪŋ/ B1	adjective - very hot
tons /tʌnz/ A1	noun - a measurement of weight equal to 1,000 kilograms
arctic /ˈɑːrktɪk/ B1	adjective - relating to the regions around the North Pole
vulnerable /ˈvʌlnərəbəl/ B2	adjective - exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed
ethical /ˈɛθɪkəl/ B2	adjective - relating to moral principles
forecast /ˈfɔːrkæst/ B1	noun - a prediction of future events, especially weather verb - to predict future events