Yhetto and Dhunja are looking forward to Belfast Zoo visitors hanging fruit on their Christmas trees. Santa’s Elves will be treating the rest of the animals to special gifts, including festive boxes, home-made crackers, and gift bags of treats. Visitors will be able to see our gorillas, lions, warty pigs, penguins, sea lions and many more open their gifts! Enrichment is a key part of providing the best care possible for the animals. Food related enrichment encourages animals to forage for their food, providing stimulation within an animal’s environment.
Christmas at Belfast Zoo is more than lights, gifts, and eats. By visiting the zoo or purchasing a gift from the zoo, you will support the vital work that the zoo does both in Northern Ireland and around the world to help save animals from extinction. Popular gifts include Junior keeper for a day, animal feeding experiences, animal adoptions, annual memberships and gift vouchers or stock up on stocking fillers with a ‘zooper’ gift from the Zoovenir Shop. Visitors can buy gifts at our Visitor Centre up until 2pm on Christmas Eve.
Visitors can fuel up this weekend and enjoy a breakfast with Santa in the Wildlife Wonderland Zoo Café. Children can listen to festive stories, write, and post their Santa letter, enjoy festive play and colouring in, and they’ll receive a gift from Santa. Belfast Zoo have scheduled extra dates to include Quiet Santa experiences so that everyone can join in the fun. These have been developed to provide a quiet, relaxed, and sensory-friendly alternative to suit neurodivergent needs. Visitors can choose to have an experience with or without breakfast with each having reduced noise, no flashing lights, and reduced numbers.
Belfast Zoo’s animals also want to treat their supporters to a joyful gift this Christmas! Visitors can complete the reindeer trail during their visit and be in with a chance to win a family membership, an animal experience, a Junior Keeper for a Day Experience, or a cub adoption package.
Wildlife Wonderland takes place on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 December with a Quiet Santa experiences on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 December. Belfast Zoo is open from 10am until 4pm until 24th December, with last admission into the zoo at 2.30pm.
For further information on Wildlife Wonderland visit www.belfastzoo.co.uk/events or visit www.belfastzoo.co.uk/giftguide to purchase Christmas gifts.