Animals, especially those from polar regions, may have to rely on ice and air conditioning for a few more days as high temperatures could continue to affect southern areas of China.

On Tuesday, Liangliang, a giant panda, sat in a twin-room panda house at Hefei Wildlife Park awaiting breakfast.

The temperature had risen above 33C outside but remained at 24C indoors, thanks to two air conditioners installed in each of the rooms.

"The air conditioners keep working 24 hours a day," said Jiang Lei, who bred the panda.

"For most of the day, the panda will stay indoors to enjoy the cool, and only very early in the morning will it take a stroll in the yard."

Air conditioners are also being enjoyed by animals including red pandas, monkeys, Peruvian penguins, Siberian tigers and an Asian elephant.

Jiang Hao, deputy head of the zoo, which has more than 2,000 animals from about 120 species, said, "Some of the animals will also be given ice cubes and fruit, such as watermelon, which are delivered to them twice a day."

Eastern and southern areas have been experiencing a heat wave since last week, with temperatures in Shanghai reaching 40 C during the weekend.

The Central Meteorological Observatory on Tuesday continued to issue an orange alert for the heat, the second-highest level in the national four-tier system. It said the heat would persist in eastern areas until Thursday.

Forecasters said the highest temperatures would be up to 41 C in some eastern areas, such as Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, and in Sichuan province and Chongqing in the southwest.

In Ji'nan, Shandong, keepers are striving to ensure the indoor temperature remains at -3C for penguins by keeping air conditioners running all day. Polar bears can enjoy colorful ice cubes made from various fruit juices, according to media reports.

Li Guofeng, manager at an ocean world, was quoted as saying: "It's so hot and polar bears are reluctant to move. Colorful ice cubes can attract the bears to play with them and help them to do more exercise."

However, Jiang from the Hefei Wildlife Park said the use of air conditioners had contributed to a 30 percent increase in daily electricity consumption, compared with other seasons.

zhulixin@chinadaily.com.cn

Critics accuse mall of mistreating polar bear

A busy shopping mall in Guangzhou has been criticized for having a polar bear on display to attract visitors to the Guangdong provincial capital.

The 4-year-old female, which is being kept at the Grandview Plaza aquarium in a 40-square-meter glass enclosure that has a small pool, has been described as the saddest bear in the world by some media reports.

Some residents have complained that the bear is being maltreated, as it is being displayed in such a small area.

Chen Wenzhou, a white-collar worker in Guangzhou, said: "The bear should live in a world of ice and snow at the North Pole. How can she live in Guangzhou where the temperature has reached more than 36 C outside?

"She appears restless and anxious because she is living in such a small area and has to face a large number of visitors each day," Chen said.

A 7-year-old girl, surnamed Huang, said she likes the bear, describing it as cute. "But I hope she can be happy," Haung said after visiting the animal.

Li Chengtang, an executive from Grandview Aquarium, said the bear has become used to her environment.

Despite the high temperatures outside, the temperature in the aquarium is between 17 and 18 C, while the water temperature in the pool is about 8 C, Li said.

Li added that the bear had left her mother at the age of 2. The animal was examined and found to be healthy when it was taken to live in the mall's aquarium.

In addition to routine monthly health checks, the aquarium ensures the bear has quality and suitable food every month. Li also said the aquarium has been authorized by government departments to care for the animal.

Sun Quanhui, a senior Chinese scientific consultant with World Animal Protection, said keeping a bear in such a busy shopping mall and it being viewed by large crowds would affect the animal's psychological condition.

"The best way to protect such animals is to release them back into the wild," Sun added.

Zhang Xiaohai, executive secretary-general of the Beijing Loving Animals Foundation, said, "We should not prevent animals from developing their natural instincts when we raise them."

In addition to clean food and water, a suitable living environment is needed, Zhang added.

Located in Guangzhou's Tianhe district, Grandview Plaza covers 57,000 square meters.