Mysuru: With the temperature soaring to a record level in Mysuru , the city’s zoo , one of the best in the country, has included more fruits in the diet of its inmates to beat the heat. Besides, sprinklers have been fixed in the enclosures to keep the animals stay cool under a blazing sun.The 125-year-old zoo has more than 1,500 animals, including exotic ones.Chimpanzees and African apes are being served tender coconuts while giraffes’ enclosures are fitted with sprinklers. Mysuru’s temperature has ascended to 37.9 degrees Celsius, a record in the past nine decades.According to zoo officials, right from providing tender coconut, fresh fruit juices to electrolyte-enhanced water to the animals, the zoo has been giving special attention to keep the animals hydrated. The quantity of fruits that have high water content like watermelons , oranges and muskmelons have been increased, they said.A small pond has been created in the enclosures of tiger, leopard and lion while the jumbos enjoy a mud bath at the wallows.Speaking to TOI, executive director, Mysuru zoo, Ajith Kulkarni said the animals are capable of sustaining themselves in different temperatures. “They can sustain or adapt to temperature variations. However, as zoo authorities, we can extend some help. In the wild, animals get their own space. They can travel to the nearby ponds or rivers to keep their body cool. However, in the zoo, there are limitations as they live in an enclosed area. The zoo has to make such provisions in their enclosures so that they feel comfortable. So far, the animals are doing well,” Kulkarni said.The temperature has not affected the flow of tourists to the zoo, said Kulkarni. But there is a dip in the number of visitors, mainly due to the ongoing final exams in schools and colleges, he added. By the end of March, more tourists will start arriving, he said.

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