Seasonal Fun at the Zoo

One of the best parts of the Christmas season at the zoos is all the Christmas-themed enrichment we make for the animals. Enrichment is anything that physically or mentally stimulates our animals. Enrichment can be anything from toys to new sounds or smells to even meeting other animals. There’s no limit to the fun we like to provide our animals!

At the Ararat Ridge Zoo, Rikki the binturong and our four African crested porcupines received Christmas wreaths decorated with delicious fruits and veggies. Our porcupines also enjoyed a “Christmas feast” stuffed with porcupine-safe foods. The ring-tailed lemur enclosure was decorated with stockings and handmade paper Christmas lights. Esau the large hairy armadillo enjoyed shredding a Christmas present stuffed with goodies. Gabriel the sugar glider got his very own Christmas tree.

Watch Esau the large hairy armadillo open his Christmas present!

Additionally, our baby aoudad sheep Noel celebrated her first birthday! Noel was a surprise baby born just before Christmas in 2020. When her mother Bathsheba arrived in August of 2020, no one knew she was pregnant. Zoo staff soon suspected she was carrying a surprise, and Noel became our Christmas miracle! Due to health and safety reasons, Noel was hand-raised by zoo staff and a surrogate mother goat named Dinah. She’s now old enough that she recently rejoined her mother and three other aoudad females on exhibit. However, she still enjoys the company of her keepers and often goes on walks with them in the zoo.

At the Museum

Over at the Eden Zoo, some of our ambassador animals got in the Christmas spirit by exploring with ornaments. Even Fuzzy the tarantula was feeling the holiday cheer! Boomer the wallaby also got a Christmas tree to munch on as well as a stocking filled with snacks. Alpacas Bilbo and Samwise were suspicious of their stockings, but KuneKune pig Gimli, son of Gloink, went right for it! He and Thorin Oinkenshield also created some Christmas paintings. The alpacas have been doing well with their painting training and created some masterpieces too. But the best Christmas paintings were made by our white-nosed coatis, Sophie and Waldo. Although they’re off exhibit during the winter because of the cold temperatures, they still enjoy holiday festivities and are kept toasty warm behind the scenes.

Speaking of cooler weather, Candace the miniature horse broke out her special winter wardrobe! Candace is a rescue and was in rough shape when we adopted her in 2017 but has greatly improved under the care of our amazing veterinary staff. She has some arthritis and can become stiff and uncomfortable in the cold. Although she has access to a heated barn, she enjoys going outside. So, to make her comfortable, she wears a blanket and legwarmers to keep her joints warm. That way she can frolic with her friends!

Tune in next time to see what’s new at the zoo!