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Animals at London Zoo tuck into pumpkin treats ahead of Halloween

Kiwi the capybara Image source, London Zoo
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Kiwi the capybara

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Penguins, capybaras and gorillas have been getting into the Halloween spirit at London Zoo by tucking into some creepy pumpkins.

Keepers at the zoo put some of the animals favourite foods inside the carved pumpkins to give them a spook-tacular surprise.

The penguins had fish on pumpkin platters, while the gorillas had pumpkins, lettuce and peppers to investigate.

Daniel Simmonds, Animal Operations Manager at London Zoo, said: "Halloween gives our zookeepers a great opportunity to come up with new seasonal ways to encourage our animals' natural instincts and skills – laying down scent trails leading to tasty pumpkins, or hiding their food for foraging inside the carved creations."

Three penguins with fish in their beaks with three carved pumpkins which have fish inside. One penguin is standing on a large rock the other two are on a sandy surface. Image source, London Zoo
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The zoo's colony of Humboldt penguins had their breakfast of fish served on some pumpkin plates

Gorillas sit on a treetop platform with two pumpkins. Image source, London Zoo
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Western lowland gorilla troop Kiburi, Effie, Mjukuu, Alika, Gernot, and youngers Venus and Juno also got a Halloween treat

A gorilla sitting in a tree holds up a pumpkinImage source, London Zoo
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The gorillas enjoyed eating the pumpkins themselves as a healthy snack

A capybara tucks into a pumpkinImage source, London Zoo
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Kiwi the capybara has some Halloween fun