Wuxi Zoo prepares Dragon Boat feast for its animals

A young girl feeds the rhinoceros at Wuxi Zoo under the supervision of her father and a zoo staff member in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. [Photo by Chen Dachun/wxrb.com]

Wuxi Zoo is gearing up to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival on May 28-30, and even its animals will be included in this year's festivities. The park has prepared special versions of the seasonal delicacy, zongzi, tailored to the tastes of its diverse community of residents.

Zongzi are a traditional Dragon Boat snack made from glutinous rice and other fillings wrapped in bamboo leaves.

This weekend, each of the zoo's animals will be able to feast on zongzi stuffed with their favorite foods. The tigers will gorge on meat-filled zongzi, while the hippos will be treated with dumplings full of steamed corn bread. The bears' zongzi will be stuffed with cereal and the rhinos' with a mix of tasty fruit and vegetables.

A staff member at Wuxi Zoo presents Qian Qian, a baby elephant, with a special 1-meter-tall super rice dumpling as a birthday present. [Photo by Xiao Dong/wxrb.com]

The biggest treat of all will be reserved for Qian Qian, the zoo's baby elephant who celebrates her first birthday on June 1. The zoo's staff have made her a 1-meter-tall super rice dumpling as her birthday present.

To celebrate International Children's Day, the zoo will also launch a folk custom show and a creative handcraft fair, with a huge 3-meter-tall rice dumpling model set up outside the zoo's entrance.