Elephants Smash Pumpkins to Kick Off Oregon Zoo’s Halloween Celebration

— -- Elephants at the Oregon Zoo went to town on a pair of giant pumpkins this weekend, destroying the enormous fruit as part of the Squishing of the Squash, the annual kickoff to the zoo's Halloween celebration.

The elephants appeared blissful on Friday as they stomped on the pumpkins that weighed about 1,000 pounds each, and then the animals contentedly munched on the broken pieces.

The annual Squishing of the Squash is the prelude to the Portland zoo's weekend of "Howloween" festivities, the zoo said in a press release.

The elephants' pumpkin-smashing session forms part of the zoo's environmental enrichment program, which is designed to enhance animals' lives through stimulating and challenging environments, objects and activities, the zoo said. Earlier this week the zoo posted to its Facebook page a video that showed river otters, giraffes and black bears digging into their own pumpkin treats.

Over the weekend visitors would participate in a scavenger hunt and would watch as even more animals received seasonal treats, such as jack-‘o-lanterns stuffed with snacks.

Watch the video above to see the elephants' apparent joy at their pumpkin play.