A former estate of drug lord Pablo Escobar, now a wildlife park in Colombia, has marked Christmas by setting animals festive feeding challenges designed to boost their mental and physical health.
Staff at Hacienda Nápoles, a theme park and conservation centre in Puerto Triunfo, introduced seasonal “environmental enrichment” activities for their animals on Thursday, replacing standard feeding routines with Christmas-themed tasks, park officials said.
Footage released by the park showed lions pulling at meat-filled parcels suspended from ropes, while tortoises and hippopotamuses ate vegetables arranged in festive shapes. Jaguars and pumas were given habitats decorated with Christmas trees and mock presents.
The activities are intended to stimulate natural behaviours rather than entertain visitors, according to the park’s biologists.
“Today we carried out different environmental enrichments for the animals, including pumas, jaguars, lions, monkeys, and others such as elephants and hippos,” said Mariana Cifuentes, a biologist at Hacienda Nápoles.
She said altering how food is presented encourages animals to use instincts such as searching, hunting and problem-solving.
“We focus on distracting them, encouraging them to show their natural behaviours like searching, hunting, agility and jumping,” Cifuentes said.
The practice is used regularly to prevent animals becoming accustomed to fixed routines and to reduce the risk of stress-related behaviours, she added.
The festive scenes contrast with the site’s origins. Hacienda Nápoles was built in the late 1970s by Pablo Escobar, who filled the estate with exotic animals smuggled into Colombia, including hippos that later became emblematic of the property.
After Escobar’s death in 1993 and the seizure of the estate by the Colombian state, the land fell into disrepair before being redeveloped as a family-oriented theme park and wildlife centre.
Today the park says it focuses on conservation and the care of animals rescued from illegal trafficking. Seasonal activities such as Christmas enrichment are used to underline that shift, Cifuentes said, while stressing that attention to animal welfare continues throughout the year.
U.S. and Pakistani leaders forecast a Sunday signing of a long-elusive framework agreement to end fighting between the United States and Iran, as Reut...
Senior officials from Azerbaijan and Armenia held a working meeting in Dilijan, Armenia, on 14 June to discuss issues related to the peace agenda betw...
Tajikistan has strengthened its position as one of Central Asia’s fastest-growing economies. According to the European Bank for Reconstruction and D...
The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 to close out the series 4-1 and claim their first NBA championship since 1973, sparking celeb...
In the runup to the G7 summit, hosted by France in Évian-les-Bains on Monday, 15 June, China has addressed global economic balances in a videoconfer...
Senior officials from Azerbaijan and Armenia held a working meeting in Dilijan, Armenia, on 14 June to discuss issues related to the peace agenda between the two countries.
Tajikistan has strengthened its position as one of Central Asia’s fastest-growing economies. According to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the trend is supported by investment activity, industrial expansion and large-scale infrastructure projects.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged Georgia to implement reforms to tackle youth unemployment. Nearly 30 per cent of people aged 15-24 are without a job in the country, according to World Bank data.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to publish the UK government's long-awaited Defence Investment Plan ahead of next month's NATO summit in Ankara, following growing pressure over the UK's military spending commitments.
Pakistan has warned that any attempt by India to block or significantly reduce river flows under the Indus Waters Treaty could have “far-reaching consequences”, after India's water minister said New Delhi was working to ensure that “not a single drop” of water reaches Pakistan in the coming years.
Armenia has every right to choose Europe. But Europe’s support for Armenia’s direction should not become automatic approval of its political process.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said a peace agreement with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday in a post on social media, despite Tehran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei saying no deal would be approved this weekend.
Japan’s birth rate and fertility levels have fallen to their lowest levels on record, highlighting the country’s worsening demographic crisis as fewer people marry and have children.
The global race to develop quantum computing is accelerating, with governments and technology firms investing heavily in what is expected to become a major new computing era.
The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 to close out the series 4-1 and claim their first NBA championship since 1973, sparking celebrations across New York City.
In the runup to the G7 summit, hosted by France in Évian-les-Bains on Monday, 15 June, China has addressed global economic balances in a videoconference hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. It is a rarity for Beijing to engage directly with the group.
Switzerland on Sunday rejected a referendum proposal to cap its population at 10 million, a projection showed, as voters prioritised economic stability and the country's ties with the European Union over immigration concerns.
Romania's centrist President Nicușor Dan on Sunday designated Adrian Veștea, a member of the liberal party, as prime minister, after independent candidate Eugen Tomac withdrew.
North Korea said on Sunday, 14 June, that denuclearisation is a matter that is irreversibly terminated, in a condemnation of recent nuclear deterrence talks between the U.S. and South Korea.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment