Christmas fun for elephant ‘toddlers’

The zoo’s playful toddlers Donna and George were given giant ‘presents’ stuffed with hay and fruit, and soon set about demolishing their gifts.

Elephant keeper Lee Sambrook said: “Asian elephants are really inquisitive by nature, and the youngsters love having new things to investigate.

“We hid some of their favourite treats like oranges and bananas in their jumbo presents – they loved digging it all out and playing with the boxes.”

There’s plenty of Christmas fun going on at Whipsnade, with visitors able to see Santa’s reindeer, make Christmas treats for the chimps and craft birdhouses to take home to help keep their garden wildlife warm this winter.