{"id":3162,"date":"2011-08-05T12:10:21","date_gmt":"2011-08-05T11:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whatsonni.com\/blog\/?p=3162"},"modified":"2011-08-05T12:11:31","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T11:11:31","slug":"cool-chimps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/2011\/08\/cool-chimps\/","title":{"rendered":"Cool chimps!"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s not just Belfast Zoo\u2019s visitors that are enjoying the summer sun, but the animals too!<\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Keeping cool this summer, Phoebe the chimpanzee, at Belfast Zoo enjoys her fruit-filled ice lolly!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Keepers are making sure that the chimpanzees and gorillas stay nice and cool this summer by making fruit-filled ice lollies!\u00a0 These tasty treats not only keep the apes cool, refreshed and hydrated during the hot weather, but they also act as a form of enrichment for the apes. <\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/strong>The chimpanzees certainly love the challenge of their ice lollies\u201d said curator Julie Mansell, \u201cI have worked with the chimpanzees and gorillas for many years now and they never cease to amaze me when a new challenge is put in front of them. They use a variety of tools to break the ice to get to the fruit; including their hands, feet, branches and they even use items in their enclosure as tools, such as their climbing frames.\u00a0 The chimpanzees in particular love the ice lollies and their excitement can be heard across the zoo.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year Belfast Zoo are also fundraising for the EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria<\/strong>) \u2018Save the ape\u2019 <\/strong>campaign and they need your help!<\/p>\n

Julie continues, \u201cWe are currently fundraising for the EAZA Ape Campaign.\u00a0 Almost all apes are threatened in the wild and almost all are either endangered or critically endangered.\u00a0 This campaign aims to make a contribution to the survival of apes and their habitats by raising awareness of the issues facing apes and to raise funds to support conservation projects.\u00a0 As I am sure you can imagine all of the staff here at Belfast Zoo, where we are home to a number of apes including chimpanzees, gorillas and Moloch gibbons, are incredibly passionate about the campaign and we are all hoping to significantly contribute.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Belfast Zoo team will also host \u2018Ape Week\u2019 at the zoo between the 22 and 26 August. During \u2018Ape Week\u2019 activities will include:<\/p>\n