Animals are enjoying icy treats offered by the Nantong Forest Safari Park. [Video by Xu Congjun/ntfabu.com]

Nantong city in East China's Jiangsu province has entered a continuous high-temperature weather period since entering sanfu.

Sanfu, also called China's "dog days", refers to the three 10-day summer periods that are predicted to have the hottest days of the year. This year's sanfu started on July 11 and will end on Aug 19.

The so-called dog days describes the hot and sultry northern hemisphere weather associated with the arrival of Sirius, commonly known as the Dog Star.

In order to provide a comfortable environment for its animals, the Nantong Forest Safari Park – located in Chongchuan district in Nantong – has reportedly introduced a series of measures to help them cool down.

These include providing air conditioning, showers and iced food.