Not many people realise that the scope of Tasmania’s wildlife and fauna far exceeds that of the Australian mainland. Where I live we are close to the Tasmanian Savannah which has an abundance of big game animals that are usually associated with Africa. The animals here though are particularly fond of Christmas, and every year if you know where to go, you can observe them going about their Christmas celebrations.

 

 

Just like us humans the animals experience Christmas in the same way. Some times family tensions can boil over and harsh words are said and inevitably some one takes offence and heads off home early. Alcohol is always a big problem for the animals – if too much sherry is added to the truffle then you better watch out as a tiddly elephant or silverback gorilla can wreak havoc. But Christmas is really about the kids and seeing them so happy is really what makes Christmas so special.

The animals on the Tasmanian Savannah are a little different from humans with regards to the Christmas story. They do not of course believe in Santa Claus. For them the Christmas Zebra is the bringer of good cheer and presents, and the children all pester their parents for weeks wanting to know when the Zebra is coming and if they have been good enough to get presents.

So I hope that everyone had a good Christmas this year, and apart from the incident with the elephants, the animals of the Tasmanian Savannah certainly did.