Monkeys served frozen Mojito mocktails

Squirrel monkeys at Drusillas Park in East Sussex are being served frozen Mojito mocktails to combat the hot weather.

The lollies contain tea, mint and edible flowers - all their favourites.

Zookeepers have been pulling out all the stops to protect their animals from the heat by making sure they have access to additional water sources and creating extra shaded areas where they can keep out of the sun.

These cooling concoctions were served up to a number of other animals at the Sussex zoo, including capuchin monkeys, lemurs, coatis, and binturong containing various combinations of vegetables, herbs and greenery.

Deputy Head Keeper, Jamie Fryer, commented: “We use these ice lollies to keep the animals cool in the heat because animals do not sweat in the same way humans do.

"Ultimately, the animals are after the rewards hidden within, but as they grab, lick, nibble and break down the ice lollies to get the food, their mouths and paws are cooled.

"The food hidden inside is carefully measured and taken from their normal daily food allowance so although it’s lots of fun to see them with ice lollies, they still sit within their monitored diets.”

“Ice lollies are a great way to keep the animals cool, but they also serve an enrichment purpose as well. Making the animals work for their food in creative ways, helps to stimulate them mentally and physically and forces them to use their instincts to look for food as they would in the wild.”

Elsewhere in the zoo animals such as the flamingos have been combating the heat by walking around their waterfall, the capybaras and beavers have been taking long dips in their pool and the red pandas have been napping the day away in the shade of their trees.