A mouthful of watermelon for meerkats at Cotswold Wildlife Park

Lucky lemurs have been licking fruity ice lollies to cool down in the sun, while the Asiatic Lion pride have been enjoying blood ice lollies.

Squirrel monkeys have also been getting in on the action with the fruity concoctions created by keepers, plus the Ring-tailed lemurs, and Dobby the Binturong.

The meerkats also made sure not to miss out on the action with their mouthfuls of watermelon getting their temperatures down.

The treats not only cool down the animals but also keep them entertained.

Cotswold Wildlife Park section head of Primates and Small Mammals Chris Kibbey said: "On hot days, and as part of our enrichment programme here at the Park, we treat the Meerkats, Lemurs and Squirrel Monkeys to ice lollies to help cool them down.

"We make them ourselves to make sure they don't have any additives or sweeteners.

"Fresh fruit are frozen into cups of ice and hung up in their exhibits.

"The Meerkats were also spoilt with a nice cold watermelon.

"As well as cooling them down, it provides a challenging treat for them and keeps them stimulated. All animals need enriching, and this is just one way in which we do it."