He said herbivorous animals were being given a protein-rich diet of mahua flower and soya bean to help them beat the chill.

“The animals are also being fed calcium and vitamin solutions mixed with food and water. Liver tonics are being given to the birds,” the zoo director said.

The health of the animals are being continuously monitored to detect symptoms of hypothermia so that the right treatment can be provided at the right time.

“We also have some reptiles such as python that go into hibernation during the winter season. They will come out only in March and don’t require any food before that,” Chakrabarty said, adding that the fat stored in the reptiles’ body help them sustain themselves during the hibernation phase.

Set up in 1989 on 127 acres, Jawaharlal Nehru Biological Park is owned by Bokaro Steel and is recognised by the Central Zoo Authority. Over 5,000 people visit it during the peak season of December-January.

Jawaharlal Nehru Biological Park in Bokaro is taking all measures to keep its inmates, comprising 228 animals and 32 species of birds, comfortable at a time temperatures plummeted to as low as 8.6°C on Sunday.

Heaters have been installed in the enclosures of lions, leopards and tigers since December 1. As the cemented floor in the enclosures turns cold at night, large wooden planks have been laid on it to keep the animals warms.

“We have kept beds made of straw inside the cages where the animals can lie down and feel cosy. Branches of trees that were hindering the entry of direct sunlight in the enclosures of lion, tiger, leopard, deer, spotted deer, black buck, bird and monkeys have been cut down,” zoo director Gautam Chakravarty said.

Divulging more details, Chakravarty said a lioness, a tigress, four leopards and two cubs needed special care and were being kept inside a separate shelter at night and provided goat meat as food.

“We have also covered up the windows of the shelter to protect the animals from direct exposure to cold waves,” Chakraborty said.

Leopard cubs at Jawaharlal Nehru Biological Park in Bokaro Picture by Shikhar Kumar