Smithsonian.com

It got crazy today at a party at the Zoo’s Great Ape House. The Zoo’s gorillas and orangutans got jiggy with it at a St. Patrick’s Day “all-green” festival of special ape entertainment and food served with an uncommon flair. The creatures were treated to some green fruitsicles, delicious lime and honeydew melon kabobs, broccoli forage and of course, green Jello. Keepers, who called the event “ape enrichment,” created shamrock wall paintings out of rice cereal and delivered brown paper bags filled with goodies.

St. Patricks Day at the Zoo.

Iris, a 21-year-old Sumatran-Bornean hybrid orangutan, relaxes next to the green waterfall and pool on St. Patricks Day at the Zoo.

Baraka, a 16-year-old silverback western lowland gorilla, eats “green” rice cereal, which was used to create a shamrock wall painting.

Seven western lowland gorillas live in one group at the Great Ape House including their newest resident, a female baby gorilla born on January 10, 2009. Four Sumatran-Bornean hybrid orangutans and two Bornean orangutans live at the Great Ape House and Think Tank exhibit at the Zoo.

All photos taken by Mehgan Murphy/National Zoo. For more photos, visit the Zoo’s Flickr site.