Animals show slurping skills in safari vid

Have you ever wondered how animals drink? Well, the Ramat Gan Safari has got the answer licked.

Israel’s largest menagerie published a video on Wednesday showing some of its animals drinking water seen from an unusual point of view — they were filmed by a camera placed inside their water troughs to get a close look at how they enjoy their favorite beverage.

The mesmerizing results surprised zoo staff by showing different techniques that the animals use.

Jengo the Giraffe, who died earlier this month, stabbed away at the water with his long tongue whereas Siri the Lion lapped at the liquid in a style very similar to  that of his domesticated cousin, the house cat.

In an unexpected revelation, an oryx preferred to suck up the water while the lemur monkeys slurp their drinks.

However, when it came to long tongue wizardry it was Meir, Papaya and Pinchas the tapirs who stole the show, seeming to barely be able to control themselves as they plunged their faces in.

Meanwhile, Zebras and Atari the Rhinoceros showed themselves to be suckers for water.

Humans also get a look of filmmaker and animal keeper Elad Herskowitz sticking his face into the water at the end of the clip, although, with a nod to hygiene, not actually taking a sip.

Proving the wisdom of the adage to never work with children or animals, Safari spokesperson Sagit Horowitz explained that at first the unwitting stars of the video were very cautious of the foreign object submerged in their drinking bowls. Most stuck a hoof or paw into the water to find out what it was.

To prevent the camera from being killed by the curiosity of the cats, Herskowitz placed the equipment in the lion’s water container below a sheet of clear plastic.

An outtake, included at the end of the short clip, shows a wary oryx stamping a hoof into its trough to test the waters.