“What do you do with all those pumpkins?”

It’s a question that The Toledo Zoo hears each year after the fall-time fun of Pumpkin Path and Little Boo. The answer is simple: The pumpkins will provide enriching experiences for many zoo animals on Oct. 30 and 31.

It’s an event The Toledo Zoo calls Jumping Pumpkins, and it’s a great opportunity to see some of your favorite Zoo animals enjoy gourd-y goodness throughout the weekend.

Animals from monkeys and meerkats to birds and even elephants will find pumpkins all around their habitats. Some of them will make a meal, and some of them will make a mess, but all of them will be interacting with their environments and engaging in naturalistic behaviors. It’s part of The Toledo Zoo’s overall program of enrichment, which the Zoo provides consistently to ensure the animals’ well-being.

Pumpkins are provided courtesy of Oldcastle Glass, Myer Farms, Fleitz Pumpkin Farms and Schweizer Farms. A schedule of events is as follows:
Saturday, October 30
10:15 a.m. Primate Forest
10:30 a.m. Rhinos
10:45 a.m. Elephants
1:45 p.m. Meerkats
2:30 p.m. Chimps and Orangutans

Sunday, October 31
10:00 a.m. Cheetahs
10:15 a.m. Gorillas
1:30 p.m. Wolves
3:30 p.m. New World Monkeys

In addition, there will be enrichment demonstrations in the Aviary throughout the day both Saturday and Sunday.

The Toledo Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is located on the Anthony Wayne Trail (US 25), four miles south of downtown Toledo. For more information, visit www.toledozoo.org or call 419-385-4040. Lucas County residents are admitted free of charge each Monday from 10 a.m. to noon. ID showing proof of residency is required.

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