GERMANY: Elephants at a Berlin zoo have been celebrating Halloween early

Record ID: 185161

  • Title: GERMANY: Elephants at a Berlin zoo have been celebrating Halloween early
  • Date: 27th October 2006
  • Summary: (L!1) BERLIN, GERMANY (OCTOBER 24, 2006) (REUTERS) ZOOKEEPERS BRINGING WHEELBARROWS FULL OF PUMPKINS INTO THE ELEPHANT PEN PUMPKINS ON THE GROUND ELEPHANTS COMING OUT VARIOUS OF ELEPHANTS KICKING PUMPKINS VARIOUS OF ELEPHANTS PICKING UP PUMPKINS IN THEIR TRUNKS VARIOUS OF ELEPHANTS EATING PUMPKINS ELEPHANT CARRYING ONE PUMPKIN AND KICKING ANOTHER WITH ITS FEET (GOOD SHOTS OF ELEPHANTS EATING PUMPKINS)
  • Embargoed: 11th November 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Nature / Environment,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA1V528LHUNFM3CQ0PO6PRGC3KR
  • Story Text: Halloween is by no means just for humans. Large animals also like large vegetables, and that is why the elephants in the Freidrichsfelde Animal Park in Berlin get to enjoy their share of pumpkins in time for Halloween.
    The elephants Halloween dinner is an annual tradition which is getting more and more popular.
    "There aren't that many pumpkins growing here that there are a lot for each elephant, so they try to hoard as many of them as they can," the zookeeper in the elephant house, Mike Jaizebowski told Reuters on Tuesday (October 24).
    "They roll them with their feet or their trunks, and some even take one in their trunk, one in their mouth and kick one along with their feet so that they get as much as possible," he said, as one elephant indeed walked past with a bit of pumpkin in its mouth and kicking another one. "The strongest animals get themselves the majority of the pumpkins of course, and the smaller animals have to see how they manage with the rest. But with all the crumbs left lying around, they fight over every last pip until all of them have had some."
    The pumpkins are a perfect treat for the animals, they are very rich in fibre, but have a high sugar content and so tastes good while they are chewing it - even if they are not always sure what they are at first.
    "At first they mistake the form for a ball and want to play with it, then they discover that they have something tasty" said Jaizebowski.
    And the baby elephants certainly need the energy from the sweet treats as it is no easy work trying to get their fair share of the vegetables before their larger siblings.
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