Animals keeping their cool
A giant panda at Shanghai Zoo takes a bite of an ice cube to keep cool.
A giant panda rubs himself with an ice cube to fend off the effects of the heat.
Alpacas have their coats shaved off to help them have a cool summer, and they also enjoy a water spray.
Tortoises are given watermelons to eat in the scorching heat.
Giraffes at Shanghai Zoo eats watermelons.
Shanghai entered zhongfu this week, the middle and hottest part of sanfu, when high-temperature days, hitting 35 degrees Celsius and above, are more frequent, the local weather bureau said.
Tuesday could be the summer's first high temperature day and temperatures will remain at 36 to 37 degrees over the next few days.
Until August 1, the city will be under the domination of a subtropical high pressure area with dryness, heat and strong sunlight.
Children and the elderly are being advised to stay indoors when it gets too hot and others are alerted to the risk of sunstroke.
However, staying in air-conditioned rooms also has its risks. On Monday, Ruijin Hospital reported an increasing number of patients with colds or other respiratory problems brought about by air conditioning. There was a 10 percent increase in the number of such cases in early July compared with the same period last year, the hospital said.
Meanwhile, staff at Shanghai Zoo in Changning District and Shanghai Wild Animal Park in the Pudong New Area have prepared cool treats for animals to help them get through the summer.
Xing Guang and He Feng, two male giant pandas from Chengdu in southwest China's Sichuan Province, are enjoying air conditioning and specially prepared iced fruit.
They are on a summer schedule with keepers waking them at 6am so they can venture outdoors while temperatures are relatively low.
Xing Guang and He Feng, both born in 2016, arrived at the zoo last month.
South American tapirs, who particularly dislike the summer heat, have been treated with electric fans, fruits and ice cream, with Yang Yang and Fu Fu, the two tapirs, enjoying swimming and playing with water, their keepers said.
A hippo family of four at the zoo are being fed watermelons to add nutrition, and giraffes are also enjoying the fruit every day with ice cubes in their houses.
Water sprays and watermelons are also enjoyed by the zoo's elephants.
Animals at the zoo are consuming 60 kilograms of watermelons a day currently and that will grow to about 150 kilograms when temperatures rise, the zoo said.
In addition, they eat 250 to 400 kilograms of vegetables of more than 10 varieties daily in summer.
The ice cubes are made at the zoo's feed delivery center to ensure safety and efficiency, said zoo official Pan Xiuwen.
Alpacas have had their coats shaved to help them keep cool and they have also been given a water spray.
Black sun shelter nets have been installed for birds, together with electric fans and water sprays particularly for parrots. Greenery has also been added for birds.
Primates are protected under sun shelter nets, and gorillas are treated with air conditioning, fruit and ice cream sticks.
"We have made adjustments to animals' recipes such as adding more juicy fruits and vegetables like tomatoes and watermelons to increase their water and vitamin intake," said Pan.
Watermelons and water sprays are also given to amphibian and reptiles, and the treat is particularly welcomed by tortoises and lizards, the zoo said.
Air conditioning has been prepared for frogs and the temperature where they are kept is maintained below 25 degrees.
The Shanghai Wild Animal Park supplies 12 tons of ice cubes to animals every day in summer, together with 2.3 tons of fruits and vegetables, and 23 tons of fresh grass.
The food for animals vulnerable to heat stroke has been changed with more juicy and digestible feed provided, said Ni Li, a staff member.
Ren dan (a TCM patent medicine made of ageratum, orange peel and mint) is mixed into meat to help animals at the park get through the summer heat.
