Water guinea pigs, servants, monkeys, sloths, otters and goats are among the lucky animals getting a seasonal treat in the form of pumpkin lights this week – with vibrant photo results.
Drusillas Zoo Park near Alfriston has been offering pumpkins to some of its animal residents as part of the Zoo’s daily enrichment program – and decided to have a little Halloween fun at the same time.
Keepers hang carved fruit – lined with animals’ favorite snacks and treats – in place and wait patiently to see if the animals line up to create the ‘pumpkin head’ illusion or not – an innovative way to give animals extra mental and physical stimulation for the day.
The animals were left to explore the pumpkins on their own, while the camera crew waited patiently for the scene to line up.
Zookeeper Claudia Farley commented: “It’s really important to us to provide our animals with stimulation and nourishment every day, and many of them already have pumpkin as part of it. in their natural diet.
Every day, we try to mix up and offer them a new form of enrichment, whether it’s scent enrichment using herbs and oils, puzzle equipment or presented food. in new ways today.
It may seem like we’re just having fun, but in reality, an important part of our job is to constantly come up with new activities to stimulate their minds and encourage them to problem solve as well. like performing natural behaviors.
In the wild, you wouldn’t just feed them every day, so this is a great way to get them working for that.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education