OSAKA - A female polar bear at a zoo in western Japan was given three ice blocks filled with food Saturday in an annual event aimed at whetting her appetite in the summer heat.
Around 60 visitors selected in a random draw to attend the event at Osaka Tennoji Zoo watched the animal, affectionately known as "Ho-chan," snack on apples, chicken, beef and yogurt frozen into the roughly 55-centimeter-high blocks.
The event, which was also livestreamed by the zoo, was the first to be held since the new "Polar Bear Coast" enclosure opened to the public on Aug. 4.
"It was cute to see (the polar bear) snack on the ice and apples, and dive into the water," said 8-year-old Sosuke Uda, who came to the zoo with his family.
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