Rescued Ukraine tiger beats heat with blood ice lollies at Lincolnshire park

Big cats at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park are cooling off with blood-flavored ice lollies as temperatures climb.“These cats, especially tigers, really need liquid or shade,” said Steve Nichols, chief executive at the park near Friskney.

The treats are being served to all the park’s big cats, including Bengal tigers, a white lion, and a leopard. One of them is white tiger Aleks, who arrived in February after being rescued from war-torn Ukraine.

Nichols said Aleks has settled in well but still avoids his pool. “He’s never seen water other than drinking it so he doesn’t know that tigers naturally cool down by laying in water,” Nichols said. “We’ve had to make it so he can see the bottom and step in there.”

While Aleks learns, keepers are using frozen lollies made of minced liver and blood. “We will give them a huge, big lollypop that is actually made of frozen blood,” Nichols said. “As they’re licking it, that will naturally cool them down.”

The park’s tigers who have been there for years already dive into water to beat the heat. For Aleks, staff say socializing is the bigger milestone. “He’s slowly acclimatised to his new environment, he’s engaging with his surroundings, and, crucially, he’s forming bonds,” Nichols said. “He’s started socialising with our other tigers, which is a massive milestone.”