News Release

 
October 19, 2022
 
Contact: Sondra Katzen, Public Relations, 708.688.8351, sondra.katzen@czs.org
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
NOTE: Scroll to end of press release to download photos.

   
 

Brookfield, Ill. — This week, several animals at Brookfield Zoo received pumpkins for enrichment. The sulcata tortoises; goats; PJ, a prehensile-tailed porcupine; and Hani and Kartik, the zoo’s two sloth bears all seemed to enjoy their Halloween treats. Pumpkins given to Brutus and Titus, the zoo’s African lions, were filled with bones and meat.

Animals also will be receiving pumpkins during the final weekend of Brookfield Zoo’s Boo! at the Zoo Halloween celebration on October 22 and 23. Guests can see the western lowland gorillas in TW: Africa with their pumpkins this Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and the polar and grizzly bears at Great Bear Wilderness on Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

As part of the Chicago Zoological Society’s Center for the Science of Animal Welfare, staff are always thinking of ways to physically and mentally stimulate the animals at Brookfield Zoo. One way is by providing them with enrichment items they normally do not receive on a regular basis, including pumpkins.

 
Photo Captions (credit: Jim Schulz/CZS-Brookfield Zoo)
4072, 4081, 4133: Brookfield Zoo’s sulcata tortoises seemed to enjoy the pumpkins they received for enrichment.
 
5396: Titus, one of Brookfield Zoo’s African lions, with a Halloween treat.
 
5265: PJ, a prehensile-tailed porcupine at Brookfield Zoo, munches on the filling from a pumpkin.
 
5294 and 5327: Brookfield Zoo’s goats were treated to a Halloween treat—pumpkins—that they seemed to thoroughly enjoy.
 
5367: Kartik, one of Brookfield Zoo’s sloth bears, eyes a pumpkin before eating its filling.
 
5377: Hani, a sloth bear at Brookfield Zoo, claws into a pumpkin to get to the filling.


About the Chicago Zoological Society
The mission of the Chicago Zoological Society is to inspire conservation leadership by engaging people and communities with wildlife and nature. The Chicago Zoological Society is a private nonprofit organization that operates Brookfield Zoo on land owned by the Forest Preserves of Cook County. The Society is known throughout the world for its international role in animal population management and wildlife conservation. Its Center for the Science of Animal Care and Welfare is at the forefront of animal care that strives to discover and implement innovative approaches to zoo animal management. Brookfield Zoo is the first zoo in the world to be awarded the Humane Certified™ certification mark for the care and welfare of its animals, meeting American Humane Association’s rigorous certification standards. The zoo is located at 8400 31st Street in Brookfield, Illinois, between the Stevenson (I-55) and Eisenhower (I-290) expressways and also is accessible via the Tri-State Tollway (I-294), Metra commuter line, and CTA and PACE bus service. For further information, visit CZS.org.