The pair of African lion cubs, each one-and-a-half years old, did not seem to mind the cold as they chased each other in their pen after a meal of heated beef and warm water.

To insulate the cubs from the chill, zookeepers have hung thick blankets on the pen's walls and built an extra wall to keep out the cold winds.

"If the temperature continues to fall, we'll install an electric heater in the pen," said one staff worker.

A stove is already warming the monkey house and is surrounded by wire netting to stop the animals being burnt.

All the birds at the zoo now have a thick layer of hay in their nests to keep them warm.

Zoo workers have also lined the houses of deer and wild donkeys with haystacks, though these species - born and raised in cold regions - are seldom daunted by the freezing weather. Carrots and other nutritious food are included in their daily diet to help them withstand the cold.

(China Daily January 9, 2003)