Ice and yogurt in tigers and monkeys: so the bioparch of Rome fights the heat (but the animals would only like to savor freedom)

In the heart of summer, while the thermometer touches record peaks, also the zoo animals They have to deal with torrid temperatures. To alleviate the discomfort, some Italian structures such as the Bioparco in Rome have introduced Fruit, yogurt or fish iceboats to be distributed to four -legged guests.

A solution that, however, more than reassuring, raises questions. Is this really the best way to deal with their well -being? Or we are faced with an attempt to “Mask” reality with a reassuring imagemade of ice cream and swimming pools?

Pools and ice creams: palliative in cage

Bears, tigers, lemurs and many other exotic animals are immortalized while refreshing with giant glacier or immerse themselves in small tanks. For visitors, these are curious scenes, who often tear a smile. But behind this apparent serenity, there is a much more raw reality: that of the permanent captivity.

In nature, animals do not need glacies to survive heat. Have available The entire ecosystem To find water, shadow, shelters. In the zoo, however, they are confined to artificial spaces Where every gesture – even the most banal – must be mediated by human intervention.

Freedom denied: when well -being is only apparent

These animals have never known the wild life. They were born and raised in controlled environments, and the return to nature for many of them is simply impossible. That’s why the refreshment offered by a frozen yogurt or a bamboo cane filled with fruit is nothing more than a sopperhaps useful for keeping the animal’s mind occupied, but far from being a structural response.

The point is not whether the iceboats are useful or not. The point is that they should not serve. Because an elephant, a lion or a licaone should never find themselves in such a condition that they must be “refreshed” in an artificial way. Their presence in the zoological gardens – however well managed – is the result of one human logic which often confuses conservation with exposure. And while we console ourselves thinking that a bear immersed in a swimming pool is “better”, the fact remains that that puddle, and that cage, are still always A prison in the scorching sun.