Tayto Park animals staying cool in heatwave

Not only are visitors to Tayto Park, located in Ashbourne, Co Meath, enjoying the spell of sunny weather, zookeepers at Ireland’s favourite theme park and zoo are busy ensuring that all animals stay cool and refreshed!

With Met Éireann forecasting warm weather to continue this week, the resident animals at the Tayto Park Zoo are staying refreshed with a range of cool down treats prepared by the Tayto Park zookeepers ensuring they can also have fun in the sun!

One way to ensure animals stay comfortable during this sunny spell are frozen popsicles. As animals don’t perspire in the same way as humans, iced treats using the animals feed such as fresh fruit or vegetables ensure they stay hydrated. Iced fruits and vegetables are also a great way for animals to absorb extra water and keep them hydrated during warm weather.

The Tayto Park zookeepers have also been busy providing extra shading spots for some of the animals and ensuring there is plenty of cool water to quench their thirst. Visitors to the Tayto Park Zoo will catch a glimpse of the Asian small-clawed otters taking full advantage of their pond, as they splash around to cool down, along with Ossie, the Tayto Park Emu bathing in cool water while the sun is shining.

Deputy Zoo Manager at Tayto Park, Aisling Power said: “In Ireland, we’re just not used to extreme heat and that includes some of our species at the Tayto Park Zoo. Many of our primates enjoy year round temperatures of up to 23 or 24 degrees in their indoor habitats, but for all the animals, our main focus in the summer months is keeping them cool and offering them lots of opportunities for shade.

“Frozen popsicles made using the animals diet, such as fresh fruit or vegetables, is a very popular choice with our zookeepers who get very creative with how they present these colourful treats!. Even our resident pigs have special sun screen applied daily to protect them against the sun..

The perfect day out for all the family to enjoy, put your zoo skills to the test and discover the exceptional and diverse animal collection at the Tayto Park Zoo, which houses many conservation dependent species. Home to more than 300 animals across 80 different species, choose from a variety of walk ways and trails where you’ll get a glimpse of the most famous animals at the Tayto Park Zoo including the Amur tiger, Amur leopard and Eurasian lynx!

Check out the primate collection, which includes squirrel monkeys, red-bellied tamarins Geoldi's monkey, the fun loving ring-tailed lemurs and the critically endangered Sulawesi crested macaques. Explore the selection of beautiful and colourful birds, including the Tayto Park World of Raptors, featuring birds of prey from around the globe, including vultures, eagles, owls, hawks and more!

Entry to Tayto Park is by pre-booked tickets only. There will be no admission without a pre-booked ticket as admissions to the theme park and zoo are running a reduced capacity in line with health and safety protocols.

Pre-book your tickets today from www.TaytoPark.ie