Animals at London Zoo enjoy Halloween pumpkin treat

LONDON: Animals at ZSL London Zoo in central London enjoyed a Halloween treat on Friday, as pumpkins were hidden around their enclosures containing different types of their favourite foods.

Zookeepers laid down scent trails leading to the pumpkins, and in some cases hid food inside to encourage foraging.

Daniel Simmonds, animal operations manager at London Zoo, said Halloween gives zookeepers “a great opportunity to come up with new seasonal ways to encourage our animals’ natural instincts and skills”.

He explained that the enrichment activity is designed to stimulate natural behaviours such as searching, sniffing and problem-solving.

It is part of an annual tradition at the zoo, and comes as ZSL celebrates its 200th anniversary this year.