The inmates of Patna’s Sanjay Gandhi Botanical Garden are being fed a special diet to beat the summer heat. The animals are being given fresh daab (tender coconut water) honey, watermelons, grapes and bananas.
Says the Director of the zoo Abhay Kumar, ‘A pair of chimpanzees are given daab to keep them cool during summer. It is for the first time that coconut water is being given to chimpanzees brought here from the Nandan Kanan Zoo in Bhubaneswar to keep them cool and healthy in this heat… The chimpanzees relish daab. The coconut water is rich in carbohydrates and electrolytes such as potassium, sodium and magnesium. It prevents them from getting dehydrated. Coconut water is like an energy drink for the chimpanzees.
‘10 bears in the zoo are fed four kg of Dabur honey mixed with cow milk. Watermelons, cucumber, pomegranate juice and bananas are also given to them and to the apes.’