Trick or Treat for lion cubs
Tuesday 22 September 2009
ZSL London Zoo’s Asian lion cubs have been celebrating Halloween with their first peep at a pumpkin this week.
© ZSL - James Godwin
Three-month-old cubs, Gabriel and Rubi, will be given carved pumpkins stuffed with tasty treats ahead of a spooky half-term at the zoo.
Visitors watched as the playful pair used lots of ingenious tricks to get to the delicious food hidden inside the pumpkin.
And Head Keeper Tracey Lee knows why they went wild for their treat: “The cubs are really mischievous animals and I’m sure they loved having something new to investigate.”
Playful Rubi's fun was nearly cut short as the pumpkin she was playing with went rolling into the enclousure's moat.
After a few moments debating how to get it back, she quickly abandoned her plan when she realised it meant getting her paws wet. She soon realised the smartest move was to simply find a new pumpkin.
Giving the lions the food-filled pumpkins form part of their regular enrichment programme, which is used by keepers to stimulate their natural behaviours.
Their food is hidden around their enclosure to encourage the lions to hunt for their meal.
