A Merry Chimp-mas from Whipsnade Zoo with festive fun and loads of activities for everyone

An endangered chimpanzee having some pre-Christmas fun unwrapping special treats designed to enrich their diet

Christmas celebrations at the zoo this December

A troop of endangered chimpanzees have gone wild for early Christmas presents from zookeepers at Whipsnade Zoo.

The chimps delved into special festive food enrichment boxes to find hidden treats – encouraging them to use their foraging and puzzle-solving skills.

Adult male Grant worked out that the boxes were full of snacks and grabbed as many Christmas gifts as he could, while 21-year-old Elvis quickly sussed how to open the boxes and got busy tucking into his favourite healthy treats of carrots and chickpeas.

Adult male chimpanzee Grant grabbed as many presents as he could to enjoy his species-specific treats later

Visitors to the UK’s conservation zoo can join in the festive fun every weekend in December, and then every day from the December 16 – 24.

With a packed schedule of activities and talks to enjoy, every visit directly supports the work of ZSL – the international conservation charity.

There are daily reindeer talks and informative competitions for the kids to enter.

Throughout the festive period presenters will highlight a selection of Whipsnade’s special animal residents.

These include hippos (December 9 and 10), chimpanzees (December 16), tigers (December 17), penguins (December 18), African wild dogs (December 19), lions (December 20), red pandas (December 21), lynx (December 22), white rhinos (December 23) and otters (December 24).

Children can enter a competition to design enrichment food for one of the featured animals and if their design is chosen by the keepers, they’ll win a return trip to Whipsnade Zoo to make the treat and give it the animals.

In addition, there’s a Meet Santa experience, priced at £15.50 per child (on top of Zoo entry ticket). Accompanying adults go free but normal entry charges apply to them too. 

Or add some extra sparkle by joining Santa and his elves for a special storytelling session – about how they make Christmas magical for the animals. All participants will enjoy a warming cooked breakfast and there’ll be craft activities for little ones too, before each child meets Santa and receives a special early Christmas treat. This costs £40 per child (on top of Zoo entry ticket) and accompanying adults £19.50.

More details at www.whipsnadezoo.org/MeetSanta where you can also buy tickets.