Keep warm this winter with extra mealworms

AS the temperature plummets, our furry, scaly and feathered friends at Shanghai Zoo need to be kept warm if they are to get through the winter.

Asian elephants are now indoors and have central heating to keep them toasty hot. Keepers have even used dry grass to block gaps and prevent drafts.

The rain ceased yesterday and the temperature rose to over 7 degrees Celsius, not so bad for elephants or humans.

Today will be cloudy and perhaps a little warmer. Tomorrow, still cloudy, may see temperatures sneak back up as high as 12 degrees.

Nonetheless, winter is officially upon us and two electric heaters have been placed in the home of the flamingos to keep them above 10 degrees Celsius at night. They are being fed extra shrimp and mealworms, rich in protein and fat; good for fighting the cold.

The weekend is expected to be wet, with the low slipping to 8 degrees on Saturday then down to 6 degrees on Sunday.

Snug as a bug

The gorillas at the zoo will not give a monkey’s, living in something akin to luxury with air-conditioning and under-floor heating. As if they were not well enough fed already, they are in for extra rations of jujube and peanuts.

Animals accustomed to spending their days grazing on grass and leaves — giraffes and kangaroos, for example — also have under-floor heating in their indoor areas and their diets have been beefed up (not with beef of course) but with protein-rich bean pulp.

Otters and meerkats, fussy creatures, have been given all the sticks and straw they need to make their own warm beds.

Rations have been increased across the board. Stately maned wolves sate themselves on super-sized doses of beef and mutton.

Hot lamps, slightly hotter than usual, blaze down upon reptiles and amphibians.

Monday should be sunny and perhaps a little cloudy with the temperature ranging between 4 degrees and 11 degrees.

Residents feeling cold would do well to head for the zoo, and sped some quality time in the warmth of our animal friends’ hospitality.