The adorable footage shows the animals at the world’s oldest zoo enjoying the city’s first cover of snow as the Austrian capital gets transformed into a winter wonderland.
The Tiergarten Schoenbrunn zoo, located in the heart of the city of Vienna, in Austria, was blanketed by a thick layer of snow at the beginning of the week.
This overjoyed Siberian tigers, polar bears, arctic wolves and vicunas, which can be seen happily playing in the snowy cover in video footage from the zoo on Thursday, 15th December.
Zoo Director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: “The joy is not only great among our visitors, many species of animals naturally cope well with the cold temperatures and are in their element in this weather.”
The footage shows a group of arctic wolves that appear to be growling while making their first steps in the heavy snowfall and dipping their small noses into the snow.
Another part of the video shows critically endangered Siberian tigers playing and exploring their newly-decorated enclosure.
The Tiergarten Schoenbrunn Zoo stated: “In their homeland of Russia and northern China, snow is available almost all year round, so the tigers have a thick layer of fat that keeps them warm even in freezing temperatures.
“The fur on the underside of their paws prevents them from slipping in snow and ice.”
Vicunas which are one of the two wild South American camelids, can be spotted running around and nibbling on some snowflakes as if they were ice cream.
Native to the high alpine areas of the Andes, in South America, vicunas have a dense fur that protects them from harsh weather and cold.
The zoo added: “Their wool was used by the Incas to make clothing.”
Other exotic animals such as elephants and pandas can also be seen enjoying the snow as the zoo prepares for the upcoming Christmas holidays.
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Story By: Georgina Jadikovska, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Newsflash
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