As children embark on egg hunts this morning the Easter Bunny (or Bilby) hasn’t forgotten the animals at Alexandra Park Zoo.
At 11am today a number of animals in the Bundaberg Regional Council facility including wallabies, dingoes, lace monitors, tamarins and parrots will be treated to an Easter surprise.
Zoo supervisor David Flack said the Easter eggs wouldn’t be the traditional foil-wrapped chocolate variety.
“Since chocolate is not good for animals, we are providing healthier alternate Easter eggs to our animals,” David said.
“Zookeeper Laura Billing and our Carinbundi volunteers have constructed some large Easter eggs out of paper mache and have filled them with foods that are safe and enjoyable for the animals.
“They have also created smaller Easter eggs by dyeing boiled and raw eggs with different coloured food dyes.”
He said the initiative was a “daily enrichment” activity, which is all part of the zoo’s dedication to providing positive experiences for the animals.
“Enrichment is the term used for activities, devices and experiences that the animals receive on a daily basis to promote natural behaviours and stimulation as part of positive animal welfare.
“Whatever your beliefs are around the Easter holiday, it is a great occasion to spend time with family, and a visit to the zoo is a great family activity.
“Here at the zoo, we thought the animals might enjoy something a bit different for their enrichment on Easter Sunday, and this would provide visitors to the facility with a novel experience as well.”
The zoo animals will receive their Easter treats from 11am on Easter Sunday. Don’t forget to pop over to the fernery to visit the free Old MacDonald’s Travelling Farm petting zoo while you’re there.
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