What:
Media are invited to a hippo pumpkin feeding to kick off Woodland Park Zoo’s pumpkin bash! Watch as two of the zoo’s hippos crunch and munch the messy orange treats. Pumpkin bash is part of the zookeepers’ ongoing efforts to help enrich the lives of the zoo’s wildlife residents and for the enjoyment of zoo visitors.

When:
Hippos: Friday, October 31, 9:00 a.m.
Pumpkin bash: Saturday, November 1, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. (see below).

Where:
Enter the zoo through the ARC near the West Gate at N. 55th St. & Phinney Ave. N. Staff will escort you to the hippo pool.

Info:
Woodland Park Zoo’s pumpkin bash takes place Saturday, November 1,
10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Visitors are invited to watch as zoo animals crunch, munch, pounce on and climb in pumpkins throughout the day. Sixteen pumpkin bash activities for the animals are scheduled! For more information about pumpkin bash or the zoo in general, log onto the Web site at www.zoo.org.

Other:
Woodland Park Zoo has three female hippos that can be viewed in the African Savanna, usually submerged in their pool: 40-year-old Gertie; 25-year-old Water Lily; and 4-year-old Guadalupe. If the hippos are not in or near their pool they may be grazing on their lawn or resting in their barn (especially on cold days).

In Greek, hippopotamus means "river horse." This name suits the hippo, which spends its days in or near water and at night grazes in short grasslands. Hippos are found in western, central, eastern and southern parts of Africa. Adult female hippos weigh approximately 3,085 pounds and can live up to 49 years in zoos. In addition to pumpkins, the zoo’s hippos eat grass hay, romaine lettuce trims, pellet feed and occasional treats which include apples, carrots and seasonal pasture grazing.

Winter hours: 9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. daily