Christmas at Whipsnade Zoo brings festive treats to up to 10,000 animals

Yummy treats, enrichment activities, and cuddles with keepers are on the cards this year

White Rhinos
Author: Zoe Head-ThomasPublished 24th Dec 2024

Christmas has arrived early at Whipsnade Zoo, but tomorrow is set to deliver a range of festive surprises for its 10,000 animals.

For Alex Setterfield, team leader of domestics, Christmas Day means an early start and a special kind of joy.

While the zoo is closed to the public, Alex and her team still head to work, ensuring that the animals in their care are well-fed, enriched, and made comfortable during the festive season.

"I love it," Alex said. "I feel really privileged to have the zoo to ourselves. We can come up on Christmas Day and see the animals that we work with. They’re part of our family as well, so it’s quite nice that you get to see everybody on Christmas Day."

The day begins at 8:00 a.m. with routine checks and feeding. But Christmas brings a festive twist, as Alex told us: "Sometimes they get Christmas presents with their food in. It has been known to give ferrets Christmas presents with wrapping paper because they use it as enrichment.

"Everyone will get loads of hay and just stock them up for the day."

Though the animals might not understand the occasion, the spirit of the holiday is shared among the zookeepers.

The zoo ensures that no one misses out on the festive fun, with a very special visitor making an appearance. "Santa does come to the farm," Alex confirmed.

"All the animals will get their own little Christmas tree that will be left in their stocking down on Christmas morning. They don’t know it yet, but it’s coming."

Matthew Webb, Head of Zoological Operations at Whipsnade, said: "The animals are very much part of our family, and we get to look after them, even though we don’t get to spend the holiday in the traditional way."

Like Alex, he highlighted the importance of Christmas enrichment: "We always find little ways to make their day special, from wrapping their food in boxes to hiding treats. It’s all about giving them new experiences, even though they don’t know it’s Christmas."

The Zoo will be closed on Christmas Day, reopening on Boxing day for the remainder of the festive period.

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