Visitors to Chile’s largest private zoo this Easter Sunday were treated to an unusual sight: an egg hunt for animals, not children. Bioparque Buinzoo in Santiago staged its annual event, hiding treats for meerkats, monkeys, lemurs and other species.
Zookeepers placed small bags decorated like Easter eggs, but filled with meat, in the enclosures of small felines such as caracals, which leapt up tree branches to retrieve their snacks. Meerkats found a basket with eggs nestled among rocks, while monkeys and lemurs foraged for fruits hidden in brown paper bags adorned with bunny ears.
Ignacio Idalsoaga, the zoo’s director, explained that the activity was designed to mimic natural food-seeking behaviour. “In nature, these animals spend much of their life looking for food,” he said, adding that the treats were not chocolate eggs but foods the animals would eat in their natural habitat.
The event, now in its 16th year, also featured sheep having to extract their food pellets from a colourful sphere with holes. “Our creative team has been very imaginative this year,” Idalsoaga remarked.
