It’s not quite Easter yet, but the Easter bunny was spotted in the West Island Saturday, handing out sweet treats to children at the Ecomuseum Zoo in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.
As executive director David Rodrigue explained, this weekend is the zoo’s annual Easter Egg Hunt.
READ MORE: Ecomuseum Zoo welcomes back crowd-pleasing river otter with new exhibit
At least 8,000 visitors are expected to take part in the festivities on both Saturday and Sunday.
The popular event has become a tradition of sorts for many local residents, who help spread the word about the hunt, Rodrigue noted.
“A lot of people come year after year, and what we notice is that they talk to other people,” he said.
READ MORE: Don’t buy bunnies, chicks at Easter: Montreal SPCA
And while the kids do get rewarded with some colourful chocolate eggs at the end of the hunt, there’s no actual candy hidden on site because of the live animals.
READ MORE: The bizarre and conflicting origins of the Easter bunny
Instead, children are sent on a fact-finding mission across the Ecomuseum grounds.
“We have a small passport for them and they actually have to find 12 animals that are in eggs,” Rodrigue explained. “It’s a very interesting activity, but we’re all about education and people learning and reconnecting with nature.”
WATCH: Ecomuseum’s animals awake from hibernation, signalling start of spring
For Rodrigue, the weekend activities are all about celebrating the beginning of spring.
Rodrigue said he’s grateful for the event’s success, adding that as a non-profit organization, the zoo really relies on Montrealers’ support.
“The reason that we are here.. is because of people who actually come and visit,” he said. “It means support from the community, which I really appreciate.”
Comments