“Novel objects such as pumpkins allow our animals to investigate something that looks, smells and feels different. It may also increase exploration of the environment by using interesting scent trails. This might be to give the animals different foraging opportunities, or sometimes it exercises muscles they might not always use. Katie McDonald, Research and Conservation Officer, explained, “ We use enrichment to allow our animals to exhibit natural behaviours. Lily the meerkat pup however, had her paws straight on the prize, led by the rest of the mob, who were very excited to see this novel form of enrichment and frantically started to scratch and nibble at the tasty, orange flesh. Lushan and Lestari seemed to be very wary to start with, approaching the pumpkins with extreme caution and then retreating hastily, leaving their mothers to enjoy them instead. Something spooky is in the air at West Midland Safari Park, as the animal keepers have been treating the Park’s newest cubs and pups to their own pumpkins.įor Sumatran tiger cub, Lestari, red panda cub, Lushan and meerkat pup, Lily, this is the first time they have experienced pumpkins and there were mixed reactions to the large, seasonal fruits!
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