Breeders at Wuxi Zoo in east China's Jiangsu Province have prepared holiday treats for the resident animals in celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday that falls on Friday this year.
At the zoo's nutrition center, keepers laid out banana leaves, reed leaves, fresh fruits, vegetables and rice to make customized zongzi -- a special type of leaf-wrapped glutinous rice dumpling enjoyed around the country during the holiday.
Each zongzi was prepared with ingredients that meet the nutritional needs and preferred tastes of different species.
"This dragon boat-shaped zongzi is for chimpanzees. For baby chimpanzees, we made fruit-filled glutinous rice zongzi with a more tropical touch. And this tray of zongzi is for the lemurs," said Lu Weiling, a staff member at the zoo.
Around a dozen lemurs gathered around the tray to grab their share. Meanwhile, a much larger treat dubbed the "King Zongzi" was served to the zoo's Asian elephant, Wuwu.
"The 'King Zongzi' is approximately 1.4 meters long and weighs about 15.5 kilograms. We have hung it up so that Wuwu can use the full strength and flexibility of his trunk, which suits his usual eating habits," said Lu.
The Dragon Boat Festival, also called Duanwu Festival, is traditionally celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar to commemorate Qu Yuan, a renowned patriotic poet and minister of the State of Chu during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).
Activities such as dragon boat races and eating zongzi have been passed down as traditional customs during the festival.
Animals in Wuxi's zoo enjoy tailored zongzi feast for Dragon Boat Festival
