The lion’s share of birthday party responsibilities was entrusted a student intern surnamed Wang from the research and education group. Wang has gained a lot of experience in implementing large-scale activities during her studies—and from the pre-production briefing and staff discussions, to the actual implementation, it all went down without a hitch.

For the birthday decorations, Wang personally drew a bright-eyed, elegantly dressed liger-man on a large poster to add to the atmosphere. In the poster, the Chinese character for “tiger” (彪) was cleverly modified so that the bottom half depicts the ligers age of “12”. A special gift box was also made out of cardboard and given to the liger to tear open – adding yet another integral element to the birthday experience.

To satisfy the ligers taste, a special meat cake was prepared by the “Carnivore Team”. The multi-layer ice cake, made with blood at different concentrations to create color, was adorned with the birthday-boy’s favorite carnivorous trappings: chicken, beef, meatballs and eggs. Yilin Tsai, who was part of the cake preparation team, expressed full confidence that the liger would enjoy the treat –and sure enough, Ah Biao did not disappoint. Beginning with the top layer of ground beef, the cat worked his way down, slowly enjoying each cool lick of the frosty treat on the hot day.

The lifespan of most giant felines is between 10 and 15 years; however, ligers are not a natural variety. And so, based on an average of lions’ and a tigers’ life expectancies, Ah-Biao is considered to be in his prime. Yet, with the genetic defect of his hind leg, as time goes on, extra attention will have to be given to his physical health. The team at NPUST is ready for the responsibility, though. And their dedication to the well-being of their big furry friend was seen by the extra care they gave to detail as the celebrated 12 years of Ah-Biao.

When the snacks were made and ready to serve, even the staff found them tempting; but the moment of truth had not yet arrived. Hanging out in their enclosure, the red-haired apes were finally presented with the treats, and just like a bunch of children, each ape had his or her own way of enjoying them: some scoffing them down, some savoring as they chewed away, and some taking time to inspect the product before making a commitment. As expected some of the smart primates were even able to skillfully use the cups they were provided to eat the treats in, like a people might do with a cup of blueberries.

The deserts were inspired by two student interns (surnamed Deng and Tsao) from Department of Animal Science of Chiayi University. After the pair presented the idea, the whole team got together and brought it to fruition. From the initial drafting of the recipe to the final product, it was a very valuable experience for those involved—and when they finally saw the red-haired orangutans admiring their work, it was a moment of great satisfaction.