Brookfield Zoo’s sulcata tortoises seem to enjoy the pumpkins they received for enrichment. (Photo courtesy of Jim Schulz/CZS-Brookfield Zoo)
Brookfield Zoo’s animals receive Halloween treats
This week, several animals at Brookfield Zoo received pumpkins for enrichment. The sulcata tortoises; goats; PJ, a prehensile-tailed porcupine; and Hani and Kartik, the zoo’s two sloth bears all seemed to enjoy their Halloween treats. Pumpkins given to Brutus and Titus, the zoo’s African lions, were filled with bones and meat.
Animals also will be receiving pumpkins during the final weekend of Brookfield Zoo’s Boo! at the Zoo Halloween celebration on October 22 and 23. Guests can see the western lowland gorillas in TW: Africa with their pumpkins this Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and the polar and grizzly bears at Great Bear Wilderness on Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
As part of the Chicago Zoological Society’s Center for the Science of Animal Welfare, staff are always thinking of ways to physically and mentally stimulate the animals at Brookfield Zoo. One way is by providing them with enrichment items they normally do not receive on a regular basis, including pumpkins.
Check out some of the zoo’s residents chowing down on pumpkins. https://youtu.be/C21JJukKQao
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