photo - large black fur gorilla, holding an orange pumpkin, that he is eating, while sitting in tall grass, on a nice sunny day

Annual Pumpkin Smash and First 1,000 Guests Receive Commemorative Poster of Elephant Calf Fitz

CONTACT: Kyle Shepherd
Direct: 502-238-5331  |  Media Only: 502-744-5639
kyle.shepherd@louisvilleky.gov

The animals at the Louisville Zoo get in on the celebration of the season with a special pumpkin enrichment for the popular Animal Pumpkin Smash Saturday, Nov. 2 from 10:30 – 4 p.m.  The first 1,000 guests through the admission gates will receive a limited-edition commemorative 12 x 18 poster of Fitz, the Zoo’s recently-named elephant calf.  Special thanks to Welch Printing for the donating the poster and to Norton Children’s for sponsoring the Elephant Calf Naming Contest.

The hundreds of pumpkins and gourds that previously decorated the grounds for “The World’s Largest Halloween Party!” presented by Meijer will be given to the animals for Halloween enrichment. Animal enrichment is an important part of animal husbandry at the Louisville Zoo and promotes the expression of natural behavior.  The full schedule is here (subject to change):

10:30 a.m.                  Gorillas

10:45 a.m.                  Meerkats

11:30 a.m.                  Bears

12:00 p.m.                  Hippo

12:00 p.m.                  Bongos

12:15 p.m.                  Warthogs

1:45 p.m.                    Jaguar

2:15 p.m.                    Lion

2:30 p.m.                    Islands – all animals

2:45 p.m                     Zebra

3:00 p.m.                    Punch (elephant)

3:15 p.m.                    Giraffe

Amur tiger, snow leopard, wallaroos, lemurs, addax, maned wolf and a few others will have enrichment scattered throughout the day.

The Animal Pumpkin Smash is free with Zoo admission: https://louisvillezoo.org/event/2019-pumpkin-smash/

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The Louisville Zoo, a non-profit organization and state zoo of Kentucky, is dedicated to bettering the bond between people and our planet by providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for visitors, and leadership in scientific research and conservation education. The Zoo is accredited by the the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

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