Celebrate Christmas with the Honolulu Zoo animals on Saturday

The Honolulu Zoo’s animals will be celebrating Christmas on Saturday and you are invited to join in on the festivities.

“ ‘Christmas with the Animals’ is a very special, fun enrichment activity for zoo animals and for visitors alike,” said Marlee Breese, Honolulu Zoo Society director. “On this special day, we go all out with our Christmas gifts and make sure that we present them when zoo visitors can watch.”

The gifts the animals receive are “enrichment items,” such as foods, treats and toys, which encourage and stimulate natural behaviors in the animals through sight, smell, taste, touch and interaction.

“We have made many clever and wonderful enrichment items and present them as Christmas gifts for the animals to open — and they have a great time doing that,” Breese said.

The day’s events also include live music, keiki crafts and an appearance from Santa Claus.

And while you’re at the zoo, be sure to visit the recently renovated Big Red Barn at the Keiki Zoo; the grand reopening was last week.

“The Honolulu Zoo repurposed the barn to provide an educational and interactive experience for keiki to learn how different kinds of animals grow and develop from eggs and embryos, and through life stages, understand healthy habits and habitats and the overall importance of conservation,” said Laura Debnar, animal specialist at the zoo.

The barn, known as Lani Moo’s Hale Malama (House of Care), has an animal nursery display set up to teach kids about the needs and care of baby animals, along with new indoor stalls that provide a place for Keiki Zoo animals to shelter during inclement weather, Debnar said.

“It is a place where kids and adults can learn all about the role zoos play in conservation and how important it is to care about the world we live in,” Debnar said.

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SCHEDULE OF GIFT OPENING TIMES AND ACTIVITIES:

9:30 a.m.: Chimpanzee

9:45 a.m.: Ground hornbill and Marabou stork

10 a.m.: Penguin*

10:30 a.m.: Orangutan

10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Santa Claus and keiki crafts

11 a.m.: Sumatran tiger

11:15 a.m.: Keiki Zoo

11:30 a.m.: Elephant

Noon-1 p.m.: Park Rats Enrichment Band at various locations in the zoo

1 p.m.: Burmese python*

1:15 p.m.: Galapagos tortoise

1:30 p.m.: Gharial

1:30 p.m.: Parrot Row

1:45 p.m.: Japanese giant salamander*

2 p.m.: Golden lion tamarin and sloth

*Areas with limited viewing