The mercury may be rising, but the polar bears at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo kept cool on Sunday with a special present. To help the bears beat the heat; the zoo gave both polar bears, Yukio and Reiko, blocks of ice with a special treat of meat and vegetables frozen in the middle. With summers in Tokyo regularly climbing over 30 degrees Celsius, the climate is rather different from polar bear's natural Arctic environment. The tradition of giving ice to the bears in the height of the summer has been going on for over ten years and has become an annual event. Zookeepers say the purpose is simply to give the polar bears a break from the summer heat. While those there to watch the bears cool down seemed to enjoy the spectacle, the bears themselves were more than happy simply playing with their Arctic treats.
.jpg)
