It Ain't Half Hot Mum - in Kent

By jscott

PARCHED primates and tepid tigers at Howletts Wild Animal Park were given ice lollies to help them cool off during last week's heat wave.

Zoo keepers treated the monkeys and gorillas to fruit-flavoured ice lollies as the temperature reached 30C on Thursday.

Animals director Adrian Harland said: "We made ice cocktails from frozen Ribena and fruit. It was bit like a Slush Puppies. I tried one myself and it was quite nice!"

He added: "We were hoping to make frozen blood ice lollies for the lions but nothing had died recently."

Instead the big cats were given bucket-sized fish-flavoured ice cubes.

Elsewhere at Bekesbourne zoo just outside Canterbury the water buffalo were wallowing up to their horns in mud hole while the he elephants were busing hosing themselves down.

Mr Harland said: "We also had to apply sun screen to tapirs and mud packs to rhinos. They cover themselves in mud but miss bits."

Along the road at Wildwood Wildlife Discovery Park in Herne, hot hogs Boris, Harriet and Billy were being treated to a bucket-sized ice cube filled with fruit and vegetables.

The wild boars thought they were in pig heaven when they found bananas, apples, cucumbers, tomatoes, oranges, beans and strawberries frozen inside.

As temperatures soared, sun-chasers were making the most of the hot weather at Faversham's open-air swimming pool.

Manager Roger Lake said: "It was absolutely packed which was great. The last two summers have been poor for us because of bad weather but the past two weeks were brilliant."

Meanwhile, crowds flocked to the beaches of Herne Bay and Whitstable for a dip in the sea.

Fed-up office workers abandoned their desks and joined families among the groynes for a paddle and a swim.

Some beach fans, like two-year-old Natasha Crudgington, were so eager to enjoy the water that they dived straight in fully clothed.

But they soon dried off in the sunshine!

Did you take any pictures in the heat? Email them to newsdesk.times@krnmedia.co.uk or leave your comments below...