St. Patrick’s Day has become a full weekend of fun and activities. After all, they say everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day!
There are parades, pub crawls, parties, and a variety of green-themed events to choose from. Many zoos, animal parks, and other animal care facilities have joined in the holiday and created their own festivities.
The Elmwood Park Zoo throws a weekend St. Patrick’s Day event with personalized animal greets and live Celtic music and dancing. There is something for everyone from adults to children.
At the Smithsonian National Zoo everyone gets into the holiday spirit: animal care staff and aides gift enrichment items to the animals. Visitors really connect with the animals through enrichment feeders like the Bingo Ball Feeder. Everyone enjoys seeing primates like tamarins, capuchins, marmosets, macaques, and langurs figure out how to solve a puzzle and get a treat.
The San Francisco Zoo keeps it simple. Wear anything with a shamrock on St. Patrick’s Day weekend and get $1 off admission. Visitors can enjoy a green beer all weekend long as they stroll the park grounds.
How could we not check in with the Dublin Zoo and see what they have planned for St. Patrick’s Day?
Keeping with the “green theme”, reptiles will take center stage. Keeper talks will run throughout the day in the Zoorassic World. Many reptiles spend their day basking. Visitors like to see activity and feeding time is a great interaction experience. Our Exotic Nutrition canned insects make it easy to provide a variety of nutritious insects to your reptiles.
The Maryland Zoo turns St. Patrick’s Day into an enrichment event. Animal keepers give their animals enrichment items and treats. During the events, staff explain the importance of customized environmental enrichment in the lives of the zoo’s lions, otters, bobcats, polar bears, farm animals, and chimps.
Even animal shelters are creating fun St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Fredericksburg Virginia SPCA promises” puppy kisses, puppy breath, and puppy cuddles” for those attending the St. Patrick’s Day Puppy Yoga event. This is the perfect time to have visitors interact with the rescue animals. Use enrichment toys to help the animals and potential adoptees connect. Dogs love the Kong chewable toys. Cats are especially fond of stalking, pouncing, and chewing on feline enrichment toys. Don’t forget small animals like mice, rats, guinea pigs, ferrets, and birds. They all need engaging environmental enrichment for physical and cognitive stimulation.
Treat activities are popular with zoo visitors and create a connection between animals and humans.
Whether your animal facility simply offers a St. Patrick’s Day discount, like the Palm Beach Zoo, or goes all out with food, beer, and dancing, the “green holiday” is the perfect time to bring the visitors closer to your important work with the animals. The Philadelphia Zoo has a new exhibit where visitors feed the giraffes. You don’t have to make a complicated program to use treats in your exhibits and demonstrations. Foraging and treat-based enrichment products give you complete control over the diet, provide the animals with fun stimulation, and give visitors and supporters an engaging experience that brings them back again and again. Why not try it this St. Patrick’s Day?
