As the heatwave hit the capital for a second day yesterday, animals at the Beijing Zoo had a hard time dealing with the unbearable weather.

Two bears who turned away from a pool and two huge ice blocks that were supposed to help the hairy beasts cool down in a pit, seemed to beg watching tourists for bottled water.

On the monkey hills, a few creatures sipped water dripping from a pipe set up over two hills while others rested in the shade.

A great red kangaroo flopped in the shade with its tongue out.

A dozen rose-ringed parakeets were probably the most comfortable creatures yesterday, as their closure is in the shade and bird-keepers sprinkled water on the ground to help lower the temperature.

The giant pandas were also fine as they were enclosed in their own hall.

Despite the sweltering heat, no animals were reported to be ill because of the heat.

Hundreds of tourists visited the zoo yesterday.

Anna Kondratowicz, from Britain, said she wanted to see the monkeys and pandas.

She added: "You know, it's warm in England now, but in Beijing it's very, very hot. It's really making me sweat."

(China Daily June 23, 2005)