BIAZA Zoos and Aquariums sending each others' animals Christmas presents

Somewhere in the country this Christmas, a ring-tailed lemur investigates a brand-new ball, a curious armadillo noses at a new puzzle feeder, and a fruit bat delights in smelling some festive herbs and spices.

It’s all part of a Secret Santa between fifty zoos and aquariums in Britain and Ireland, who have been busy sending each other fun-filled Christmas packages.

BIAZA orchestrates the gift-swapping, and with this year’s theme being animal enrichment - the animals themselves have been joining in all the festive activities.

Zoo keepers got to work researching which animals their gift-recipient zoo has, and their likes, for a perfectly tailored present. Some even crafted gifts from scratch. Gifts included:

• Bird houses to provide homes for smaller animals such as marmosets and tamarin monkeys
• Spices and smells to entice all sorts of animals including big cats such as lions and tigers
• Re-purposed fire hose – perfect hiding places for food & climbing equipment for lots of animals.

Enrichment is an important way for animals to discover, learn, and play. It is how good zoos provide the best possible care for the animals they look after. For staff at zoos and aquariums, providing animal enrichment is a vital part of the daily schedule.

The CEO of BIAZA, Dr Jo Judge, commented: “It is fantastic to see so much Christmas cheer being shared by zoos. The passion, dedication and care of zoo keepers is truly wonderful and many of them will be working throughout the festive holidays.”

You can check out more gift-unwrapping videos by searching the hashtag: #BIAZASecretSanta2022 on social media.