PREVIEW

Brookfield Zoo’s Nigerian dwarf goats enjoyed a sit-down Thanksgiving spread complete with specially prepared vegetable platters this holiday week.

The gang of goats, from the Chicago attraction’s Hamill Family Play Zoo Wild Encounters area didn’t actually have turkey - with turkey-shaped biscuits substituting for the Thanksgiving staple.

Keepers said: “These goats know how to celebrate Thanksgiving—by eating everything in sight!

“The Nigerian dwarf goats were recently treated to a feast of foods including celery, lettuce, sweet potato, popcorn, and biscuits shaped like turkey. It takes goats 11 to 15 hours for their meal to fully digest—so they savoured this feast all day long!”

Lions Titus and Brutus weren’t left out of the holiday fun. They savoured their Thanksgiving meals in true feline fashion, dining on turkey-shaped enrichment treats.

Nearby, Whirl, the zoo’s majestic Amur tiger, prowled around her own feast, while Luigi, the two-toed sloth, enjoyed a more leisurely Thanksgiving celebration.

True to his laid-back nature, Luigi dined on a curated selection of fruits and vegetables, including his favourites—sweet potatoes and apples. Keepers ensured that the meal was perfectly arranged for Luigi’s slow-paced approach to dining.

Brookfield’s Thanksgiving celebrations weren’t limited to land, however, as the zoo’s trio of seals—Fisher, Kiinaq, and Mikey—had their own underwater party. Keepers created frozen fish “turkeys” for the playful marine mammals, which were tossed into the pool for them to retrieve and enjoy. The seals’ antics as they gobbled up their treats provided plenty of entertainment for visitors gathered at the exhibit.

The Thanksgiving dinners are part of Brookfield Zoo’s ongoing efforts to provide enrichment for its animals. By mimicking natural behaviours or introducing novel experiences, these activities keep the animals mentally and physically engaged.

The festive meals also served as a reminder of the bond between humans and the natural world, as families across the U.S. gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving, Brookfield Zoo’s animal residents proved that everyone can get into the holiday spirit—regardless of whether they walk on two legs, four legs, or swim with flippers.