The three African elephants on the Milwaukee County Zoo had a smashing good time with a seasonal treat this October: giant pumpkins.
The Milwaukee County Zoo posted footage of its “annual smash and squash” on its Facebook page on Oct. 26.
The pumpkins are given to the elephants as a part of an enrichment program, the zoo explained.
Additional videos of the elephants show them stomping and twiddling with other seasonal items, including Christmas trees.
Other animals on the zoo, including lions, were also given pumpkins for enrichment purposes, the zoo made clear.
The three pumpkins were 347 lbs., 364 lbs., and 576 lbs., in line with Storyful.
As for the zoo’s three elephants — they’re named Brittany, Ruth and Belle.
The Milwaukee County Zoo acquired Belle in 2019 from one other zoo as a part of an expansion of its elephant exhibit, the zoo’s website detailed.
Pumpkins are native to North America, said Rosane Oliveira, a professor on the University of California, Davis, in a 2018 article published on the school’s website.
Pumpkins are believed so far back to 9,000 years ago, she also said on the location, and there are over 45 pumpkin varieties.
Every a part of the pumpkin is edible, she said.
Elephants normally eat grasses, herbs, leaves, fruit, bark, vines, shrubs, said the Milwaukee County Zoo’s website — and their diets within the wild actually help improve their landscape.
“As their herds move across the savanna, they feed on trees, breaking them up, often by pulling them up by the roots and crushing them,” said the zoo.
“Without this tree clearing, the savanna would quickly grow from grassland to woodland.”
The US grows 80% of the world’s pumpkins — so it might be extremely unlikely for Brittany, Ruth, and Belle to have encountered one in the event that they were living within the wild.
However it’s secure to say that a “gourd time” was had by all this October.
The three African elephants on the Milwaukee County Zoo had a smashing good time with a seasonal treat this October: giant pumpkins.
The Milwaukee County Zoo posted footage of its “annual smash and squash” on its Facebook page on Oct. 26.
The pumpkins are given to the elephants as a part of an enrichment program, the zoo explained.
Additional videos of the elephants show them stomping and twiddling with other seasonal items, including Christmas trees.
Other animals on the zoo, including lions, were also given pumpkins for enrichment purposes, the zoo made clear.
The three pumpkins were 347 lbs., 364 lbs., and 576 lbs., in line with Storyful.
As for the zoo’s three elephants — they’re named Brittany, Ruth and Belle.
The Milwaukee County Zoo acquired Belle in 2019 from one other zoo as a part of an expansion of its elephant exhibit, the zoo’s website detailed.
Pumpkins are native to North America, said Rosane Oliveira, a professor on the University of California, Davis, in a 2018 article published on the school’s website.
Pumpkins are believed so far back to 9,000 years ago, she also said on the location, and there are over 45 pumpkin varieties.
Every a part of the pumpkin is edible, she said.
Elephants normally eat grasses, herbs, leaves, fruit, bark, vines, shrubs, said the Milwaukee County Zoo’s website — and their diets within the wild actually help improve their landscape.
“As their herds move across the savanna, they feed on trees, breaking them up, often by pulling them up by the roots and crushing them,” said the zoo.
“Without this tree clearing, the savanna would quickly grow from grassland to woodland.”
The US grows 80% of the world’s pumpkins — so it might be extremely unlikely for Brittany, Ruth, and Belle to have encountered one in the event that they were living within the wild.
However it’s secure to say that a “gourd time” was had by all this October.
