San Diego Zoo Animals Get Early Halloween
The hallowed-out pumpkins included peanut butter and fish treats.
— -- Halloween came early for the animals at the San Diego Zoo this week when they were allowed to trick-or-treat for pumpkins filled with their favorite treats inside.
The hallowed-out pumpkins had peanut butter inside for the monkeys, and fish inside for the otters.
The monkeys and the otters live with a menagerie of animals that includes red river hogs, a forest buffalo and red-tailed guenons in a mixed-species exhibit at the zoo.
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Of all the animals, it was the monkeys and otters that were the most interested in chasing and swimming after the pumpkins, according to zoo officials.
While humans trick-or-treat just for fun, the early Halloween treat on Wednesday was considered an enrichment activity for the animals.
Zookeepers carved some of the pumpkins but left others uncarved so the animals would have to work harder to open them.
“It’s great to give the animals something that’s out of the blue that’s a fun puzzle to figure out, and it’s fun for people to watch too,” San Diego Zoo keeper Leslie Steele said in a statement.
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