Blood lollies and sunscreen: Zoo's heatwave relief

A meerkat, usually found in southern Africa, cools off at Lincoln Zoo

Animals at Lincoln Zoo have been cooling down with ice lollies, including some made with blood to whet appetites, as temperatures in the county hit 32.2C on Saturday.

Director Neil Mumby said: "It's unusually hot, so we have to look after the animals. We'll hide the lollies in as many different places as we can."

The Met Office office said Lincolnshire's highest temperature was recorded at Coningsby.

Sunday is expected to be fresher, with temperatures of around 24C.

Mr Mumby said keepers were keeping a close eye on animals that cope less well with the heat.

"They've all got shade and water in all of the enclosures, but over and above that, when it gets to these sort of temperatures, we will give them ice enrichment throughout the day - frozen fruit or frozen lollipops and frozen meat, all sorts of different things."

The BBC spotted a Sri Lankan sloth bear trying to extract frozen lactose-free milk from a tube, as a group of spider monkeys from Columbia sucked on frozen fruit.

Meanwhile, Arctic wolves - less attuned to heatwaves - tucked into ice lollies made from blood.

Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South and Central America and South East Asia

An Arctic wolf tucks into a blood lolly on the hottest day of the year so far

"We get lots of meat, and we've got lots of animals that eat meat and that comes with blood, so we freeze that," said Mr Mumby.

"The wolves... they were loving it.

Animals with natural bald patches got a coating of sun screen.

"The tapir …his nose is quite susceptible," Mr Mumby explained. "It's quite a large animal, as big as a large pig, and he's got a nose a bit like an elephant's. So he's a peculiar creature, but a lovely, lovely animal."

A temperature of 33.2C was recorded in Charlwood, near Gatwick, on Saturday afternoon, beating the previous 2025 record set earlier this week.

A Met Office warning for parts of northern England, the Scottish Borders and Wales, is in place from Saturday afternoon into Sunday, with the heat and humidity expected to fuel torrential downpours.

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