22 December 2020
Gorillas’ Christmas music
Zookeepers have revealed the gorillas’ choice for this year’s Christmas No.1 is Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas’ - after the troop showed their support for the 90s classic while listening to 2020’s contenders on the radio.
Mums Mjukuu and Effie and youngsters Gernot and Alika usually relax listening to classical music while dedicated keepers tidy up their cosy indoor dens each morning, but after the government’s weekend announcement the team decided to lift their own spirits with some Christmas music and were surprised to find the festive love song catching the troop’s attention.
Zookeeper Glynn Hennessy said: “The troop enjoy listening to music as much as we do - we normally play them Classic FM, as they’re firm fans of Bach.
“But the radio has been airing some cracking Christmas tunes lately, which is how we discovered their love for the songstress: every time it came on Alika and Gernot came as close to the radio as possible to listen better - we only ever have it on quietly, but they definitely wanted to hear more of Mariah’s dulcet tones.”
Despite the world-famous zoo having to close its doors over the weekend as part of the Tier 4 restrictions, cheerful footage shared today shows the gorillas enjoying some early Christmas treats, with the team looking forward to sharing more festive spirit with the troop on the day itself.
“We’re devastated to be closed to the public again, especially over Christmas, but we’ll still be here every day caring for the animals - and spreading some much-needed festive cheer,” added Glynn.
“We couldn’t resist giving the troop a few early ‘Christmas presents’ this week, as they love playing with the boxes. And on Friday we’re looking forward to wrapping up their breakfast in more brightly coloured paper and playing a few Christmas tunes on the radio - while waiting to hear who really bags the top chart spot.”