Smashing pumpkins is a stimulating activity for the animals
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Humans aren’t the only ones joining in on the Halloween fun. Throughout the month, animals at the Oregon Zoo have been celebrating Howloween with the help of a few pumpkins.
The zoo recently shared a video of black bears smashing, sniffing and snacking on jack-o-lanterns. The main star of the video is 19-year-old American black bear Cubby. He lives with three other bears: Takoda, Dale and Tuff — two of which were found as orphans in the wild and one was rescued from an illegal private breeding facility.
The bears aren’t the only ones who participate in the pumpkin smashing. The zoo says beavers, mountain goats, tortoises, and rhinos have also taken part in this Howloween. In addition, the zoo has its annual ‘Squishing of the Squash‘ where the Asian elephants destroy giant gourds.
According to Jen Osburn Eliot, who oversees the Oregon Zoo’s bear family, “The pumpkins provide enrichment for the animals, encouraging natural behaviors like sniffing, digging, and even squishing. They’re part of the Oregon Zoo’s world-renowned, environmental enrichment program — promoting animal well-being by providing stimulating and challenging environments, objects, and activities.”
Eliot says that the concept of environmental enrichment was established in Portland in the 1980s, and the first-ever international animal enrichment conference was hosted at the Oregon Zoo in 1993.
The zoo conducts a few different stimulating activities for the animals. Chimps and orangutans have used iPads and GoPros. Sea otters have practiced dunking a ball into a basketball hoop.
Environmental enrichment through pumpkin smashing may only be possible when pumpkins are in season from October to November, but the animals get other food smashing opportunities year-round. The Oregon Zoo has shared videos of the black bears snacking on watermelons as well.
Howloween 2022 is coming to a close, but the pumpkin smashing videos aren’t going anywhere.
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