The 22nd is the winter solstice. On the 21st, the Chimelong conservation team "tailored" the traditional winter solstice festival delicacies - "dumplings" and "glutinous rice balls" for giant pandas, black spider monkeys, penguins and other animals, as well as the atmospheric "side stove (hot pot)" set to "nourish" the animals for the winter.
The reporter saw at the scene that the conservationists were putting the carved special "Panda Winter Solstice Meal" on the plate one by one, and there were the words "Happy Winter Solstice" on the plate, and the panda's favorite bamboo shoots, carrots and other ingredients were instantly turned into northern dumplings and southern dumplings by the hands of the conservationists. I have to say that the giant panda's "winter package" is really a national treasure.
Mr. Chan from Hong Kong said, "I usually like to watch panda eating broadcasts online, but recently I took advantage of the holiday to come to see the cuteness of pandas, and it is really a rare experience to spend the winter solstice with animals." ”
The holiday feast is not just exclusive to giant pandas, the reporter followed the footsteps of the keepers and came to the black spider monkey exhibition area. Today, primates such as black spider monkeys are served with a combination of fruits and vegetables such as apples, bananas, carrots and dates. A child at the scene asked: "How many hands does the black spider monkey have?" Chimelong's popular science sister introduced, the black spider monkey has the third highest super IQ among primates, because the limbs are very slender, and the tail is flexible like an arm, often climbing between the branches, looking like a spider, so it is called the black spider monkey. You can see that their tails are as nimble as their fifth hand, they can pick fruits, they can climb, and they are proper jungle masters.
It is reported that in the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Hengqin, Zhuhai, the penguin "dads" have ingeniously prepared a "side stove" with Cantonese-style winter solstice characteristics for the penguins, using ice cubes to make a crystal clear hot pot stove, with all kinds of delicious whole fish meals that penguins love to eat. The penguins spread their short legs and swayed towards the "hot pot", gathered in front of the "smoking" "hot pot", feasting and enjoying themselves.
In order to cope with the cold wave and let the animals survive the winter smoothly and comfortably, the keeper introduced that in addition to the "external resistance" measures such as fancy cold protection and heat preservation, "food supplement" can also improve the animal's own ability to withstand the cold. One month before the cold wave, Chimelong's conservation team began to make a plan to adjust the diet of the animals and increase the supply of high-calorie food, so as to improve the reserve of animal fat, enhance the animal's physique, and strengthen the animal's own cold tolerance. The winter solstice meal prepared for animals this time is specially made according to the dietary Xi and nutritional needs of animals, and the types and proportions of fruits and vegetables, fish and shrimp are appropriately adjusted to "stick" to the cold for animals.
Whenever encountering traditional Chinese festivals, the Chimelong animal conservation team will carry out food enrichment activities for the animals, such as the exclusive "zongzi" during the Dragon Boat Festival, the special "Chinese New Year's Eve Dinner" for the Spring Festival, and the various creative "Cantonese afternoon tea" for the animals on weekdays, and the exclusive special meal for them on their birthdays. Chimelong Wildlife World staff said that wild animals also need "humanistic care". The Winter Solstice Food Abundance activity not only satisfies the basic needs of the animals, but also gives them the pleasure of eating, which is especially helpful to increase the appetite of the animals.
Written by: Nandu reporter Xu Xiaolei, Xi student Yuan Xiaojia, correspondent Deng Yongyi