(COLORADO SPRINGS) — It’s Christmas morning at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. The lights from Electric Safari aren’t glowing, but the holiday spirit for the animal keepers is.

“Are you ready?” Basia Dann, one of the animal keepers says over the radio. This is a signal to send a paper-style ornament from the top of a zipline that dangles over Chewy, the tiger’s enclosure. Inside the ornament is fish, perfect for climbing and eating.

“Being a zookeeper on Christmas is similar to being a zookeeper any other day,” Dann confesses, “We have to come in and take care of all of our family that lives here at the zoo.”

“The zoo, in the form of the animals and all of the people here has become my family, so it’s kind of like I’m just getting to spend time with my family on Christmas.”

Across the zoo, the meerkats are hard at work digging for crickets from near and around present-themed boxes. Brooke Powell, a senior animal keeper, overlooks this festive-themed enrichment. This year is the first Christmas for the seven meerkats.

“Last year, we started having our first litter with sage and hullabaloo. And so they’ve had two litters, and this will be their first Christmas spent together as one big family,” Powell explained.”

“It’s so special to see how they love our holiday enrichment. Being with them on Christmas puts a smile on my face.”

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is open year-round, including on major holidays like New Year’s Day. January 1 will conclude the zoo’s light display, Electric Safari.

Tickets can be bought for this event on the zoo’s website.