On a hot day, you might decide to cool off by slurping on an ice pop. This lion, named Zulu, also enjoys frozen treats. But his preferred flavor isn’t cherry or grape—he’s chowing down on a frozen heartshaped hunk of blood and meat!
Zulu and his pride couldn’t resist the icy snack, which staff hung from a tree at Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park in Scotland last year. “He spent a long time licking and smelling it,” says Sheila Walker, who manages Zulu and other animals at the park. The big cats eventually devoured the entire heart as they worked to get at the meaty morsels inside.
The frozen food was more than just a cool treat for the lions. It was also a type of enrichment activity that challenges the big cats mentally and physically. In the wild, lions are constantly searching for water and prowling for prey, like zebras and giraffes. But in captivity, keepers provide them with everything they need to survive. That can cause lions like Zulu to become bored or out of shape. Zulu’s keeper, Brian Reid, looks for new ways to keep the lions’ minds and bodies busy by engaging their hunting and foraging instincts. He dangles toys from platforms and has even given the lions a scratching post, similar to what housecats use—but much bigger.
Along with stimulating snacks, Reid gives Zulu animal carcasses, which are more like the food he’d eat in the wild. “The fresh carcasses encourage Zulu’s natural behaviors,” says Reid.