Cincinnati Zoo's Gorillas Go Wild on Pumpkins

— -- No pumpkin was spared at the Cincinnati Zoo this morning when the zoo’s gorillas got hold of the Halloween treat at their annual Pumpkin Party.

Around eight of the zoo’s gorillas trick-or-treated in search not of candy, but of pumpkins filled with their favorite snacks, including granola, raisins, sunflower seeds, peanuts, grapes, popcorn and apples.

The Gorill-A-Lanterns, as the pumpkins are called by the zoo, were spread throughout the animals’ enclosure, known as Gorilla World.

“Trick-or-treating for the gorillas not only offers them a nutritious treat, but is a great enrichment activity,” a spokeswoman for the zoo said in a statement. “Searching for a variety of treats is actually a lot like the behavior these animals would display in the wild while foraging for food.”

The gorillas’ pumpkin party kicks off HallZOOween, an event in which the zoo opens its doors on the weekends to trick-or-treaters and others who want to enjoy “animal pumpkin pandemonium.”

Today’s pumpkin party was open for visitors to watch, many of whom could be heard oohing and aahhing in the background as the gorillas tore through the pumpkins.

The Cincinnati Zoo was in the headlines last month when it took in a girl gorilla named Kamina who was rejected by her mother immediately after her August birth at the Oklahoma City Zoo.

Cincinnati Zoo officials are now taking Kamina through a “gorillification” process in which she will spend three months with human surrogates who dress up like gorillas and mimic the actions of a mother.