No monkey business this. Two chimpanzees in Patna Zoo are treated like VIPs as they are served tasmai, a rice pudding, and Chyavanprash, a widely-used herbal tonic, to help them battle the winter chill.
"We have introduced a special winter menu for chimpanzees and other animals for the chilly weather," S. Chandrasekhar, director of the the Botanical Garden, locally known as Patna Zoo, told IANS.
He said tasmai is prepared with 50 grams of rice, 1,500 gms of milk and a small quantity of sugar.
Subhadra and Kartik, a pair of chimpanzees, are also given 50 gms of Chyavanprash a day - early morning and at night.
Chandrasekhar said that the chimpanzees are enjoying the taste of tasmai and Chyavanprash and are more active and healthy after the special menu was introduced.
"They will consume more than three kg of Chyavanprash in a month during winter," he said.
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Last year too, the chimpanzees were fed Chyavanprash to ward off the cold.
Not just the chimpanzees, other animals too get a diet suitable for the winter season. They are given eggs, chicken, beef, honey, among other items.
The zoo has also made arrangements to keep the animals warm by installing heat convectors. Chandrasekhar said the zoo spends nearly Rs.9 lakh a year to provide high quality food to its 1,200 animals and birds.
(Imran Khan can be contacted at imran.k@ians.in <mailto:imran.k@ians.in>)