ANIMALS at West Midlands Safari Park have been getting into the spirit of Halloween with some tasty treats hidden in a multitude of pumpkins ordered for the venue’s Spooky Spectacular event.
More than 1,000 pumpkins were ordered to decorate the walk-through areas and any surplus ones have been donated to the park’s animals.
Keepers have been hollowing out the pumpkins for most of the animals, then hide tasty treats inside, such as insects for the meerkats, leafed branches for the giraffes and meat for the tigers.
Doing this acts as a form of seasonal enrichment, allowing animals to exhibit natural behaviours, such as foraging, burrowing and in the case of the tigers, stalking!
Head Keeper of Carnivores, Chris Hodgkins, said, “It’s great to see so many different species of animal enjoy the pumpkins at West Midland Safari Park.
“Every year, the park’s Events team orders in thousands of pumpkins and to ensure any surplus aren’t wasted, keepers give them to the various animals in their care.
“It’s nice to be able to offer them something that’s a little different and fits in with the time of the year!”
Animals love to play with the pumpkins, enabling them to exhibit their natural behaviours, such as foraging for food and treats and having fun rolling them around before destroying it
The 16-year-old female Sumatran tiger, Hujan, even stalked the pumpkins, before pouncing on them.
Chris added: “Let’s hope Patch, our very own pumpkin-headed mascot, doesn’t hear what the tigers are up to!”
For some of the park’s newest arrivals, such as meerkat pups, Kovu, Kenai and Kyra, the strange orange gourds were completely new, but this didn’t phase them and as soon as they found the treats inside, keepers found it difficult to get them out.
The giraffes, a little more cautious by nature, approached the pumpkins tentatively, but were soon seen munching on the ‘hair’ sprouting out the top.
After Halloween, keepers will continue to use the pumpkins from the displays and eagle-eyed visitors may be able to spot them in the animal habitats.
Further information about West Midland Safari Park is available from the Park’s website www.wmsp.co.uk or by calling 01299 402114. Find out more on the Safari Park’s official Facebook page: www.facebook.com/WestMidSafari.
