WITH the heatwave sending temperatures soaring our feathered and furry friends at Colchester Zoo have required a little cooling off.

Zookeepers have been out with hose pipes, sprinklers, ice blocks and a freezer full of iced lollies in a bid to keep animals comfortable in the heat.

Sarah Forsythe, zoo Curator, said: “We were ready and waiting for this hot spell and have been out in force to cool off the animals.

“The monkeys, gibbons and other primates have all been enjoying a supply of fruit packed iced lollies and the ostriches are cooling under a spray of cold water.”

Even the zoo’s meat-eating residents have indulged in a cool treats - blood-soaked iced lollies.

Sarah added: “Hermione the tortoise particularly loves her enclosure sprinkler. She’ll sit under it all day just to keep cool."

With no sign of the heatwave ending Colchester Zoo is keeping a stockpile of ice ahead of the school holiday next week.

Sarah said: “We’re expecting a surge of people once the holiday starts and we’ll continue to keep all the animals as cool as we can.”