Rockhampton Zoo brings festive fun to enrichment activities
Published on 22 December 2025
Rockhampton Zoo have added a Christmas twist to their latest enrichment activities, combining seasonal surprises with behaviour-based learning.
Parks, Sport and Public Spaces Councillor Cherie Rutherford said themed enrichments have become a tradition at Rockhampton Zoo, with zookeepers and volunteers going the extra mile to make each activity something special.
“We love to theme the zoo’s enrichment activities around special occasions whenever we can - and what’s more special than Christmas,” Cr Rutherford said.
“The team have been hard at work over the past weeks creating handmade baubles, brightly coloured Christmas boxes, and even paper mâché Santas for the animals, each filled with their favourite treats.
“The presents were also carefully designed to provide a unique challenge for each of the recipients – giving zoo visitors an amazing opportunity to see how the animals use their natural instincts to problem-solve.
“It’s been a magical way to celebrate the season while also showcasing the incredible abilities of our animals.”
Visitors were able to see the macaws demonstrate their foraging skills by tearing into thick carboard and paper mâché for seeds and pallets, while the meerkats had to find ways to retrieve bugs and vegetables from small holes in baubles.
The chimpanzee troop used problem-solving to open their Christmas boxes filled with nuts and vegetables, while the eagle displayed her natural power by breaking apart a large paper mâché bauble.
Rockhampton Zoo Team Leader Blair Chapman said enrichments are a vital part of zoo life.
“Enrichment essentially is about replicating what the animals would normally do in the wild,” Mr Chapman said.
“A lot of these species occupy their day foraging and hunting in the wild, so many of our enrichments incorporate and encourage this.
“Chimps for example forage for five to eight hours a day in the wild, depending on the time of year, so much of their enrichment is around finding food and working out how to access it.
“For parrots, hanging browse upside down encourages macaws to forage naturally - which is both mentally and physically enriching.
“Enrichment changes for each species and can come in many forms - from the way we set up an enclosure, to hiding food in puzzle feeders – they’re all designed to get the animals thinking and support their physical and mental wellbeing.”
Rockhampton Zoo is open throughout the festive season, with the exception of Christmas Day.
For more information, head to: www.rockhamptonzoo.com.au
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