A tiger munches on a late lunch in its enclosure at Auckland Zoo on December 23. Photo / Jason Oxenham
If you’re tucking into a festive feast on the beach, sharing quality time with family and friends or caught up in a flurry of present opening, take time to spare a thought for those who have to work on Christmas Day.
At Auckland Zoo, a small but dedicated team of staff are going in to care for the animals, birds, reptiles, insects and arachnids, who have no idea that the rest of the world is taking a day off in celebration.
“The animals don’t know that it’s Christmas Day,” said Emma Dickey, senior carnivore keeper at Auckland Zoo.
“But we do try to fill their day with some extra surprises and that might be presenting their food in slightly different ways, or presenting them enrichment items that might take a little bit more time and effort to set up.”
Dickey said the keepers did as much as they could for the animals to make sure they were getting more than the occasional peek at staff and getting top-notch care and stimulation.
“Giving us a chance to do that without the public around means that we have just a little bit more one-on-one time with each other and with our animals,” she said.
But apart from the expected work with animals, Dickey said they did get to spend time with colleagues.
“Christmas Day for me is a really fun day where we get to come together as a team, not just with our sections but also as a wider community.”
She said keepers stayed connected via their two-way radios, letting each other know when something really cool is about to happen.
“It might be setting up carcass feeds for some of our big cats, seeing who else is in the area and getting keepers to come around to have a watch,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to going to see some alligators on Christmas Day, because I don’t get to see them very often.”
The team have a shared lunch to celebrate 2025 and have some time together.
Specialist bird keeper Rebecca Nash will be sitting down alongside her colleagues tomorrow.
The bird team have an extra special responsibility at the moment helping the Department of Conservation (DoC) hatch tara iti/fairy tern chicks retrieved from their nesting sites on the coast north of Auckland.
“We have a partnership with DoC,” Nash said. “They bring in tara iti eggs and we incubate them and hand-raise the chicks for about two weeks.”
Over that fortnight, the birds are fed every 90 minutes from 7.30am to 7.30pm, to mimic feeding times in the wild. They’re fed live fish smelts, totalling 120% of their body weight, to ensure they grow enough to be released into a holding pen, where they acclimatise to the wild environment.
This year is especially busy, with 10 eggs turning up so far – more than the eight that have been produced in the past few years, pointing to a successful programme.
“There are fewer than 40 adults in the wild, so it’s really important that we do this work to help them increase their numbers,” Nash said.
Between feedings, Nash is looking forward to getting together with her co-workers for some Christmas ham and fun times, and to seeing friends for some more Christmas cheer after work.
Despite the inconvenience of having to work Christmas Day, it can be a lot of fun.
“Out of my nine Christmases at Auckland Zoo I’ve worked eight, and I love it,” Dickey said.
“I love being here and I love getting to hang out not only with my own team but the wider zoo team. We’ll have keepers from all the different sections catching up and seeing each other.”
And after, she’ll be with her parents for Christmas dinner – “It might just be slightly delayed.”
The team wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. And Dickey has another message for Auckland.
“We’re open again on Boxing Day, so make sure you come in and say hello.”
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