By Dan Klepal
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Santa Claus' list is a little longer this year: soccer balls for harbor seals, wind chimes for gorillas, shower curtain rings for giant fruit bats and finger paint for bonobo apes.

He's also planning to make an additional stop - at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.

The zoo is starting a grab bag gift exchange this year for the animals. Zoo employees pick a paper ornament off a Christmas tree that gives them a gift idea for a particular animal.

It's all part of the zoo's "animal enrichment program," which aims to keep them mentally and physically active in captivity.

"In order to fulfill our ethical responsibility, we have to care for our animals' mental health as well as their physical health," said John Dinon, director of conservation programs for the zoo.

Animal enrichment is something the zoo takes seriously. A committee of 14 people meets weekly to discuss activities, toys or objects that will make living in the zoo more tolerable for the animals. Those ideas are reviewed by veterinarians, conservation managers and animal handlers to make sure they are safe and engaging.

But Dinon said the idea of a gift exchange is really more for employees than the animals, since all the items on the list are well within the zoo's budget.

"It gives people an opportunity to do something for the animals here," Dinon said. "So it's really more for them."

Terri Roth, vice president of animal sciences at the zoo, said the enrichment program has grown over the last two years.

"The animals like new things," Roth said. "They're very curious and, just like people, like new stimulus in their lives. We are constantly challenged to find something safe that the animal will enjoy."

Zoo spokesman Chad Yelton said the program may be expanded to involve the public next year.

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E-mail dklepal@enquirer.com