Animal Advent calendar
30th Nov 2015
Eep! It’s nearly here… The days are getting shorter, colder and wetter but that’s no reason to be downhearted – pretty soon we can all begin the official countdown to Christmas, tucking into some delicious advent calendar chocolate and relishing seeing those little doors open as the big day gets closer.
And here at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm we’re also celebrating the arrival of December in another way – yes, we’ll all be enjoying some cheeky chocolate every morning (or in the evening for those of us with the willpower to wait!), but we’ll also be celebrating advent and counting down with our visitors thanks to our special Animal Advent enrichment calendar on social media!
Let’s explain quickly: our Animal Advent month will feature a different creature from the zoo every day on the lead-up to Christmas. The chosen animal of the day will have their picture posted by our team on social media, showing them receiving a special Christmas present or enjoying a festive fun enrichment activity! The only problem is, with over 100 species of exotic and domestic animals to choose from, where do you start?! Our keepers have had a tough task, but managed to whittle down the numbers to a select few. The advent will run right through from the 1st December to Christmas Eve, and will feature a diverse range of animals – from big to small, furry, scaly and feathery, mammal, reptile and bird. Phew!
Each section of Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm will feature more than once on the calendar, so if your favourite animal doesn’t appear right away – hang fire, they may make an appearance later in the month…! And as each section gets a mention online, the animals will all enjoy a different enrichment exercise; this may be new toys or puzzles to figure out, or perhaps just a tasty new treat for them to get their teeth (or beaks, or tongues) around. This way our animals will have a fun and stimulating experience each and every day of December – Christmas is a month long affair for our wild guests!
The Animal Advent can be followed on Facebook and Twitter, so be sure to check out all the photos and fun information shared on these sites to share with your friends and family – if you don’t feel like sharing your chocolate, then maybe this is the perfect way to spread some Christmas cheer! But you don’t have to just stay online – come visit in December to see the enrichment activities for yourself; just ask at the ticket office for more information or visit our information page for further details. And it’s not just the advent of advent (excuse us…) to get excited about this December – we also host live Nativity shows on the 5th, 12th and 19th December, some of which will feature live animals and a real baby Jesus. So don’t stay holed up this December; join us for some carol singing and animal adventures, and get into the real swing of Christmas.
