Dragon Boat Festival isn’t just a holiday for people down at Kaohsiung’s Shoushan Zoo. Special volunteer “mothers” made animal-friendly zongzi, or sticky rice dumplings, and zongzi-shaped toys so that our wild friends could get a taste of the holiday as well.
Tourism Director Kao Min-lin (高閔琳) pointed out that enrichment activities, such as providing special treats and toys, help to stimulate animals' physical and mental health. These activities help animals live longer and happier lives. According to the zoo, their strange shape, special food contents, and unique wrapping style, create puzzles that offer tactile and mental stimulation not available during normal feeding times, not to mention the opportunity for the public to watch animals explore and play.
The zongzi dumplings themselves were made using animal-friendly ingredients; diet-appropriate foliage contained a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, or grass to suit whichever animal it would be gifted to.
The animals themselves reacted in a variety of different ways, ranging from inquisition to indifference. A well-known capybara duo, Lia and Lieber, were initially curious about their fresh hay and rice dumplings, but ultimately opted for their favorite food, grass. Meanwhile, the orangutan Mimi took her zongzi apart piece-by-piece in her own explorations.
For members of the public who are curious to see the animals with their own eyes, the Shoushan zoo has opened up additional shuttle buses to help with increased holiday traffic. The zoo encourages visitors to use available public transportation due to limited parking space.