Elephants Smash Pumpkins At Maryland Zoo

BALTIMORE, MD — The 35th annual "Zoo Boo" at the Maryland Zoo brought the return of the Elephant Pumpkin Smash. The Halloween-themed event is fun for the audience and delicious for the elephants.

"It is such a wonderful celebration of the strength of an elephant," Jane Ballentine, director of public relations for the Maryland Zoo, said. "They just take that one foot — and it looks like a delicate touch — and, 'Pop!'"

See video at the bottom of the article.

For nearly 20 years, the elephants at the zoo in Baltimore have been partaking in their own version of pumpkin carving. In addition to providing a seasonal treat that is fun for others to watch, the pumpkin smash incorporates enrichment into the daily routines of the elephants at the zoo.

The pumpkin smashing takes place each year in the days leading up to Halloween. The zoo hosts free trick-or-treating, and animals get to stock up on their own treats as well during the "Zoo Boo."

— By Capital News Service reporter Natalie Grim and Patch editor Elizabeth Janney

Still of elephant from Capital News Service/YouTube.