A polar bear eats a pumpkin in the zoo in Hanover, Germany, 26 October 2017. Pumpkins are a source of enrichment for the animals and a way to draw visitors to the zoos. Hauke-Christian Dittrich/picture alliance via Getty Image
Halloween is only three days away.
It's not just a holiday that teaches generations of kids to barter through candy. It's also a terrible time to be a pumpkin.
Even zoo animals get in on the pumpkin-destroying fun around Halloween, eating and stomping on the gourds as zoos around the country celebrate the season.
Human teenagers who like to smash pumpkins are not alone: Elephants get a kick out of it as well, as this video from the Oregon Zoo shows.
Every year the zoo holds a "Squishing of the Squash" event, when their pachyderm residents squash huge, prize-winning pumpkins — this year they used one that was a whopping 650 pounds.
In fact, lots of animals at the Oregon Zoo got in on the pumpkin celebrations this year, including sea otters, bears and tortoises.
Let the gourd times roll pic.twitter.com/SFFpShaNFx
— Oregoth Boo (@OregonZoo) October 1, 2021
The pumpkins aren't just a seasonal treat. They also can be a source of enrichment for the animals and a way to draw visitors to the zoos.
The Brookfield Zoo in Chicago gives pumpkins to "physically and mentally stimulate the animals" with items they don't regularly see, the zoo shared in a news release.
The practice can also support sustainability. Oakland Zoo uses donations of lumpy or unsold pumpkins from local pumpkin patches for the animals to enjoy.
"Most Halloween pumpkins — 1.3 billion pounds, in fact — end up in the landfill where they generate greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming," noted Amy Gotliffe, the director of conservation at Oakland Zoo.
The zoo's recommendation: Cook up the leftover gourds or donate them to zoo animals instead.
zoomiami Cuteness Alert! This week our kiwi received his Halloween pumpkin. 🎃
— Zoo Miami (@zoomiami) October 28, 2021
📸: Nicolle Mierisch
.#KiwiBird #HalloweenEnrichment #PumpkinEnrichment #ZooMiami pic.twitter.com/aL5suFhZ3w
Pumpkins are fine for many animals to eat. They're even full of fiber and beneficial nutrients, which is why some people use them to soothe pets with upset stomachs.
The British Isles' Jersey Zoo provided double the Halloween imagery when it shared this video of a pair of fruit bats chomping away at some pumpkin.
What better way to celebrate both Halloween and Bat Week than watching some fruit bats enjoying a pumpkin. 🦇🎃 #BatWeek pic.twitter.com/JqrlFpGad3
— Jersey Zoo (@JerseyZoo) October 27, 2021
If all this pumpkin eating got you into the holiday spirit, we recommend these recipes from WBUR including roasted pumpkin with a ginger-miso broth.
And if it was the pumpkin-smashing that interested you, we recommend this.
This story originally appeared on the Morning Edition live blog.
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