Christmas appeal from Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park

This Christmas, can you give some festive fun to the animals at Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park? With your generosity and the creativity of our keepers, you will be helping to create exciting environments and activities for your favourite animals.

What does a tiger want for Christmas?

Different sights, smells and experiences are an important part of the animals’ daily care. Encouraging animals to be even more active and explore new situations improves their mental and physical wellbeing.

You can see this in the design of the enclosures, for example ropes for monkeys to swing on or digging opportunities for meerkats.

Our keepers come up with imaginative ways to present food to allow the animals to use their natural abilities, from hiding food throughout the enclosure or using specialist feeders.

We like to add items that stimulate the animals’ senses, like smell or touch. We can add a variety of new smells through herbs and spices and tactile objects like bubbles or ice blocks.

You can help by giving a Christmas gift to the animals

Toys for the meerkats

Pet toys are great for many animals and in particular the meerkats. In the wild, meerkats would spend time hunting for insects in cracks and crevices. These toys enable them to practise their natural skills!

Slow feeders for the armadillos

Slow feeders are perfect for the armadillos. They can use their long tongue and claws to get to the food. Each feeder is different so we can give them lots of variety.

Playtime for the tigers

The tigers love to chase large boomer balls around. This is great for encouraging them to be even more active!

A gift of any size will help create an exciting environment and give a very merry Christmas for all the animals in Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park.

Visit edinburghzoo.org.uk/support-us to learn more and watch some of the animals enjoying their favourite activities.