Elephant given Easter treat with special egg hunt

An elephant was given a special treat when zookeepers set up an egg hunt to mark the Easter weekend.

Four-year-old Elizabeth, the youngest of ZSL Whipsnade Zoo’s herd of Asian elephants, hunted out the colourful oversized “eggs”, which were in fact watermelons decorated with edible paint.

Team leader Stefan Groeneveld said: “We wanted to create an activity for Elizabeth that would engage her natural instincts to explore and investigate, as well as give her a fun treat for Easter week.

“Melons are her equivalent of a chocolate treat, and decorating them meant that she got an extra surprise when she cracked them open and discovered what was inside.”

While there will be no visitors at the zoo over the Easter weekend, staff are busy preparing for reopening on April 12.

Mr Groeneveld said: “We can’t wait until Elizabeth and our elephant herd can be reunited with our visitors on – we hope – 12 April, as it will be amazing for both the animals and the humans to have that very magical experience again that comes from face-to-face interaction.”