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[Andrew Hund <axh69 AT po.cwru.edu>]

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Rum for monkeys chilling behind bars

January 06 2004 at 01:44PM

New Delhi - Animals in a northern Indian zoo are warding off the bitter winter chill with hot oil massages, generous swigs of rum and heaters.

There is a special cold weather treat in store for every animal in the zoo in Lucknow, capital of Uttar Pradesh state, where minimum temperatures can drop as low as 7°C.

The daily hot mustard oil and pepper massages are for the elephants, the monkeys get to drink rum and the rhinos are fed a special Indian dessert called "kheer" - prepared with thickened milk, rice and nuts.

The monkeys also get to snuggle under blankets.
They feast on boiled eggs - a welcome addition to their regular diet of grain and peanuts, zoo director Eva Sharma told the Asian Age newspaper.

The lions and leopards get an extra helping of meat and the hibernating snakes are kept warm with hay and heaters.

There are cakes made of mustard for the antelope, while the elephants are fed unleavened bread made of barley and wheat.