Auckland Zoo animals' Christmas Day treats

Monday, 25 December 2017

Giraffes were stoked to enjoy pohutakawa for Christmas

Ice blocks the size of wheelie bins, leafy greens and turkey are just some of the festive foods on the menu at Auckland Zoo.

Much like the rest of the country, the zoo's animals received a treat of their favourite foods on Christmas Day.

Kea enjoyed the cardboard box almost as much as the nuts inside.

There were mice morsels for the meerkats, pohutakawa bouquets for the giraffes, mixed nuts for New Zealand's favourite bird.

Some of the treats were even wrapped in Christmas packaging, providing enrichment and entertainment as well as a tasty treat.

Kunikunis pig out on a buffet of grass and veges.

The giant lace monitors devoured some turkey meat for Christmas.

* Auckland Zoo $1 million behind after year of wet weather

* Two siamang gibbons escape from Auckland Zoo enclosure**

The devious red pandas ate bamboo with a side of mixed fruit.

Here's the Christmas treats for some of the animals:

Giraffe – Branches of willow, acacia, and pohutakawa trees were tied up for these long-necked vegetarians to get their blue tongues around, followed by a plate of carrots for dessert.

Otters received a fishy surprise on Christmas day.

Elephants – Two massive ice-blocks, the size of wheelie bins and filled with hunks of watermelon, oranges, apple and banana, were offered for Anjalee and Burma to enjoy. 'Kind of like a traffic lights kids drink' said Elephant team leader Andrew Coers.

Cheetahs and tigers – These quick cats had to get in fast if they wanted a lion's share of a buffet of raw meats.

Otters – Fresh fish and seafood were on the menu for these otterly-adorable asian small-clawed otters.

Meerkats – Equally adorably, the mob of Meerkats made short work of mice, insects, and a selection mixed vegetables.

Red panda – Like the giant pandas of China, these smaller, redder, Nepalese red panda were treated to some delectable bamboo. Mixed fruit, including grapes and kiwifruit, and pellet mix was also on offer.

Galapagos tortoises – These slow-moving vegetarians were given strawberries as a treat, followed by some leafy flowers.

Alligators – The slippery-tongued lace monitors and reptilian cousins, the alligators, feasted on turkey, the traditional festive bird.

Wetapunga – These giant creepy crawlies munched on their usual diet of plants, followed by sweet, sweet carrots and parsnip.

Native Birds – New Zealand's bird of the year, the cheeky kea, unwrapped a favourite treat of peanuts and cashew nuts from cardboard boxes while kaka, tui and bellbird sucked nectar from native pohutakawa flowers.