London Zoo animals receive summer treats
Blood lollies, mealworm beach balls and seafood buckets were on the menu.
Residents at the Zoological Society of London’s (ZSL’s) London Zoo have been enjoying some unusual summer snacks, as keepers work to feed their curiosity.
The conservation zoo introduced the animals’ treats as part of their enrichment, challenging them to use some of their natural instincts.
The conservation zoo introduced the animals’ treats as part of their enrichment, challenging them to use some of their natural instincts.
A young male tiger cools off in a pond at London Zoo
Among the strange treats were frozen blood ‘ice lollies’, especially made for the zoo’s Sumatran tigers. The lollies were hidden around their Indonesian-inspired habitat, challenging the tigers to use their heightened sense of smell to find their rewards.
A golden-headed lion tamarin explores a paper 'beach-ball' filled with mealworms
The zoo’s tropical biome, home to several Amazonian species, has recently seen the birth of three young primates. This means the keepers also now have two more endangered golden lion tamarins and a white-faced saki to keep entertained during the summer.
These infants and their parents were presented with two paper beach balls filled with mealworms, which challenged the monkeys’ scavenging instinct to source their mealworm morsels.
These infants and their parents were presented with two paper beach balls filled with mealworms, which challenged the monkeys’ scavenging instinct to source their mealworm morsels.
A zookeeper feeds the Humboldt penguins at Penguin Beach at London Zoo
Elsewhere in the zoo, keepers had a harder time challenging the colony of Humboldt penguins to search for their food.
The keepers placed buckets of seafood around the penguins’ seaside habitat, so they could search for their food. The naturally inquisitive birds enjoyed investigating the new surprises.
However they were soon distracted by a bucket of fish that was being held by their keepers.
Dan Simmonds, London Zoo’s animal manager, said: “As parents up and down the country plan ways to keep their children engaged for the school holidays, London Zoo’s keepers have created a raft of summer-inspired stimulating activities for the animals in their care.
“London Zoo is home to more than 10,000 animals, each with specific needs and tastes, so our keepers have their work cut out coming up with ways to encourage them to put their skills to use.”
Images © ZSL
The keepers placed buckets of seafood around the penguins’ seaside habitat, so they could search for their food. The naturally inquisitive birds enjoyed investigating the new surprises.
However they were soon distracted by a bucket of fish that was being held by their keepers.
Dan Simmonds, London Zoo’s animal manager, said: “As parents up and down the country plan ways to keep their children engaged for the school holidays, London Zoo’s keepers have created a raft of summer-inspired stimulating activities for the animals in their care.
“London Zoo is home to more than 10,000 animals, each with specific needs and tastes, so our keepers have their work cut out coming up with ways to encourage them to put their skills to use.”
Images © ZSL
BSAVA is to partner with BVA Live (11-12 June 2026) to champion clinical research.
