A table fan outside the enclosure of a chimp to help it beat the heat at Patna zoo on Tuesday. Picture by Jai Prakash

The lions are resting under the banyan tree while the naughty chimps are let out of their enclosures only after 3pm so that the humidity does not affect them.

The Patna zoo management is taking every measure to keep the animals cool these days, as rains continue to play hide-and-seek. The zoo employees have been assigned the responsibility to feed the newborns, while the others are given fruits rich in water content. The Telegraph on a visit to the zoo also found shades, made of straw, placed over the cages to shield the animal enclosures from heat.

Patna zoo director Abhay Kumar said: “The newborns at the zoo — two lion cubs and a rhino calf — are very vulnerable to this humid weather. So they are being hand-fed. Employees have been deputed to feed them. It becomes important for the zoo management to take special care of the animals in this humid weather. To shield them from it, temperature in the enclosures is being controlled by various methods.”

Vet Dr Ajit Kumar said animals in the cat family are being taken special care of. “Coolers and fans have been set up in the enclosures of the tigers and leopards. Arrangements for sufficient drinking and bathing water for the felines have also being made. They are given food rich in water content like watermelons and cucumbers, apart from glucose drinks, as supplements to prevent them from dehydration.”

The chimpanzees are meanwhile offered a special menu of coconut water, pomegranate, grapes, banana and honey. Rich in carbohydrates and electrolytes, the coconut water is like an energy drink for the chimps, said the vet.

Deena Nath, the caretaker of chimps Karthik and Subhadra, said: “They are very naughty when I give them food. They take away the glass of coconut water and refuse to give it back. We usually allow them to play in the open after 10am but in this weather, we are letting them out only after 3 in the afternoon.”