Handling the heatwave: Bears, dogs, pigs and elephants know how

3 Jul 2015

As Europe undergoes some crushing, oppressing heat, many are left wondering how can we possible keep cool? Well, a little thing called nature, crossed with back garden swimming pools and YouTube, has the answer.

In Ireland, we’re doing ok heat-wise. It’s technically not a heatwave because we’ve only had a couple of days of sun, which may or may not constitute our entire summer, but over on the continent it’s different.

The sun is basically beating the hell out of Europe, with many people looking for any sweet relief.

There are many ways to counter the heat. Crack open a window, perhaps. Don’t wear a coat in doors, maybe. Chew on ice cubes, if you please.

You can even build your own office air-con by hacking holes into a bucket full of ice and aiming a fan at it.

Alternatively, you can do what any right-minded soul does nowadays, and seek help from YouTube.

There, you will realise that you can profit from the lax security around your neighbour’s pool out back. A bit like this cool bear:

Sometimes you may need to climb the relevant steps to gain permission, like this dog:

Of course if you’re more physically imposing than the host, then you can just walk right up and interrupt their bathing time, like this elephant:

Or you can thrash around on your side, like a boss. This pig can show you how:

Gigglebit is Siliconrepublic’s daily dose of the funny and fantastic in science and tech, to help start your day on a lighter note – because sometimes the lighter side of STEM should be taken seriously, too.

Main image via Shutterstock

Gordon Hunt was a journalist with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com