HARDY creatures at Cotswold Wildlife Park are revelling in chilly conditions resembling their natural habitats.

As the Beast from the East swept in, some of the animal inhabitants, including reindeer and wolverines, embraced the snow and freezing temperatures.

A penguin chick called Lucky was fascinated with the snowflakes and tried to catch them with her beak.

The species live in temperatures of minus 58 degrees in the Arctic – making Britain’s big chill positively toasty by comparison.

A male red panda called Doodoo and a female called Scarlet were also at home in the cold snap, demonstrating their incredible balancing skills in the snow.

High up in a tree, they used their long, bushy tails to keep warm.

Wolverines and Pallas’s cats were among the other creatures lapping up the icy weather gripping Oxfordshire.

Jamie Craig, Curator of Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens, said: “All the animals have heated houses where needed and are currently unaware of the outside temperatures, unlike their keepers who are busy removing snow from the roof of the aviaries and clearing pathways.

“It's certainly not the weather for our tropical species but for a few, most notable the reindeer, wolverines, penguins and Pallas's cat, it is a favourite time of year and they are revelling in the arctic conditions."