Prague Zoo Celebrates Halloween as Meerkats and Cheetah Cubs Explore Pumpkin Treats

Prague Zoo has marked the Halloween season with a special enrichment programme, treating its animals to pumpkins filled with food and other surprises.

On Friday, October 30, meerkats were seen searching inside carved pumpkins for worms, while cheetah cubs played with their own Halloween decorations.

A caracal was also filmed licking another, adding to the playful scenes captured during the seasonal celebrations.

Zoo keepers distributed pumpkins of different shapes, sizes and colours across animal enclosures, with 14 species expected to participate in the Halloween activities.

The initiative combines seasonal entertainment with animal care, giving the animals new objects and experiences to explore.

Pumpkins Turn Feeding Time into an Adventure

For the meerkats, hollowed-out pumpkins containing worms transformed ordinary feeding time into an opportunity to search, investigate and forage.

The animals were encouraged to use their natural instincts to locate food hidden inside the pumpkins, making the activity both stimulating and rewarding.

Cheetah and caracal cubs were also introduced to pumpkins for the first time, allowing them to investigate unfamiliar objects and engage in playful behaviour.

The different pumpkin shapes, colours and sizes provided additional stimulation, encouraging curiosity and exploration among the animals.

Halloween Activities Promote Animal Enrichment

According to the zoo, the celebrations are also designed to support animal enrichment, an important practice used by wildlife facilities to encourage natural behaviours.

Animal enrichment involves introducing new objects, food, scents and challenges into an animal's environment to keep them mentally and physically stimulated.

These activities can encourage behaviours such as hunting, foraging, problem-solving and exploration, helping animals remain active and engaged.

For Prague Zoo, the Halloween programme provides an opportunity to combine seasonal celebrations with activities that contribute to the animals' overall welfare.

Fourteen Animal Species Join the Celebrations

The zoo expects 14 different animal species to take part in the Halloween activities.

Keepers have prepared pumpkins in various shapes, sizes and colours, with different treats and surprises introduced to suit the animals participating.

While visitors get to enjoy the unusual Halloween scenes, the animals benefit from new experiences that encourage curiosity and interaction with their surroundings.

The cheetah cubs' first encounters with pumpkins and the meerkats' search for hidden worms demonstrate how simple seasonal objects can be turned into engaging enrichment activities.

A Different Way to Celebrate Halloween at the Zoo

Prague Zoo's Halloween programme offers visitors a glimpse into the curious and playful behaviour of animals while highlighting the importance of enrichment in modern zoo management.

Rather than serving only as seasonal decorations, the pumpkins become interactive objects that encourage animals to explore their environments and engage in natural activities.

By combining Halloween traditions with animal enrichment, Prague Zoo is giving its residents an opportunity to enjoy new experiences while offering visitors a unique look at wildlife behaviour during the autumn holiday.