Original title: Floor heating and air conditioning are used to help African giraffes spend the winter in Huzhou, Zhejiang
China News Service, Huzhou, January 20 (Hu Fengsheng and Huang Yanjun) A new round of cold wave has swept across the south of the Yangtze River. The lowest temperature in many cities in Zhejiang Province is about to fall below zero. People are wrapping up their down jackets and getting into the heating rooms. ” How do furry kids stay warm in the winter?
Recently, reporters learned that in the Giraffe Manor in Miaoxi Town, Wuxing District, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, six giraffes with big eyes and long eyelashes have moved into an indoor air-conditioned room. The breeder Zhao Honggang has already prepared sweet-scented osmanthus for them. Leaves, alfalfa and other delicacies.
Inside Lake Giraffe Manor.Photo provided by interviewee
“Giraffes are ruminants, and their staple food is various leaves. They originally grew in tropical areas of Africa, so they have certain temperature requirements. In winter, the indoor temperature must be kept above 15°C.” Zhao Honggang said, just as humans will catch a cold if they catch a cold. If the temperature is too low, giraffes will also suffer from symptoms such as colds and abdominal pain, which will affect their health.
Walking into the giraffes’ “living room”, the temperature is warm and suitable, and the house is clean and tidy. The giraffes stretch their necks leisurely, chew leaves slowly, and enjoy “afternoon tea”. Zhao Honggang introduced that in order to allow the giraffes to survive the winter safely, the park is equipped with air conditioning, floor heating and heating, and a thick grass “carpet” is also laid on the ground.
If you want African giraffes to feel at home in the south of the Yangtze River, in addition to the appropriate temperature, you must also match them with “food supplements” to “warm the stomach” and warm the body.
Zhao Honggang told reporters that in addition to leaves, the park will also feed the giraffes homemade pellet feed, which adds energy, protein and various trace elements. In winter, they will also be specially supplemented with fruits and vegetables such as apples, carrots and green onions to ensure nutrition. Balanced and full of energy.
From the tropics to the south of the Yangtze River, the giraffes in the small town have “a lot of backgrounds”.
At that time, in response to the call for “Return of Zhejiang Businessmen,” Yunnan Mekong Group, founded by Jinzhou Group, a local enterprise in Huzhou, returned to its hometown to develop tourism projects, and Giraffe Manor was settled in Miaoxi Town. At the beginning of 2020, as China’s first giraffe-themed interactive manor, Hu Giraffe Manor officially opened. Giraffes born in Yunnan also “moved” to Huzhou.
Coming from Yunnan together were not only giraffes, but also animal “daddy” Zhao Honggang from Honghe, Yunnan. As a practicing veterinarian, Zhao Honggang has been raising and managing giraffes in Huzhou for about three years. He talks about giraffe habits and maintenance-related issues with great knowledge.
“Every giraffe has a number. I know the living habits and temperaments of these giraffes very well.” Zhao Honggang said, for example, the “star” giraffe Xiaoqi in the garden has a clingy personality and weighs more than 900 pounds. Kilogram, it is the largest male giraffe in the park.
At present, the giraffes are fully protected for winter, and other animals from low latitudes in the manor have also lived a “warm winter” under the careful care of keepers.
“There are also elephant tortoises, squirrels, monkeys, thin-tailed mongooses, etc. in the park. We have equipped them with heating and insulation equipment, such as floor heating, heaters, and oil heaters, to ensure that they survive the winter.” Zhao Honggang said that at present, the winter is over halfway. , the giraffes and other animals in the park are in good condition and in good health.
