"The elephants would get chilblains on their ears and the flamingos would start ice-skating on the frozen pond," said the director of the zoo in the northwestern city of Osnabrueck, Wolf Everts, explaining the dangers of leaving African animals in sub-zero temperatures.

And the animal park in the western city of Gelsenkirchen imposed a lockdown for its sensitive inhabitants.

"There are patches of ice in our African savannah where the zebras and antelope could slip and fall," zoo spokeswoman Sabine Hass said.

She said the zoo's three lions were free to roam, however, because their den has a heated floor.

But zookeepers had to take special care of the herons and ducks.

"They can get frozen in the water quickly, particularly the herons because they remain still for long periods," she said.

Meanwhile a swan frozen in a pond in the eastern town of Birkenwerder was rescued when the loud siren of a fire truck startled the bird, which jumped and broke the ice around it.

A town resident had attempted to lure it from the water with bread crumbs but one leg was stuck.

A bitter cold snap descended on Germany Sunday. Temperatures were lowest Tuesday in the southern state of Bavaria, where the mercury dipped to minus 36 C (-33 F) on Funten Lake.

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