Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens sign and people in front of sign with a dinosaur toy in the foreground. — Courtesy: Shutterstock — KLiK Photography
A trip to the zoo can be a wonderful choice if you’re looking for some Halloween activities that aren’t too spooky.
“Zoo Boo Bash” at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens features festive holiday decorations and fun activities for both animals and guests.
“We provide enrichment to our animals on a daily basis. It helps provide them an opportunity to do naturalistic behaviors in a zoological setting,” said Director of Animal Operations Christopher Torge.
Zookeepers use Halloween-themed objects like pumpkins as enrichment at this time of year. To encourage him to play with it, the greater one-horned rhino PJ was given a pumpkin that contained food, but things don’t always go as planned.
“You anticipate a rhino to run out and smash his pumpkin, but maybe he’s not—you never know what you’re going to get. That’s the really fun part of our job,” said Torge.
After meeting guests as he made his way around the enclosure, PJ ultimately found the pumpkin and began chewing on the treat.
The zoo is also decorated for Halloween with dozens of jack-o-lantern baskets, ghosts, and inflatable candy corn.
“Their habitat is their home and we want to dress it up for every occasion,” said Zoo Director Stephanie Williams.
One of the zoo’s most well-liked events is the annual Zoo Boo Bash, which is held at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens.
“The kids can come out in costume and we encourage adults to come out in costume too. They can go trick-or-treating, we have inflatables, DJs and a face painter this year. Also new, our staff is participating in a pumpkin contest. They decorated several pumpkins that are out on display and visitors get to vote on their favorite. We’ll announce the winner on the final day of Zoo Boo Bash,” said Williams.
In addition, zookeepers sculpted and filled a pumpkin with real worms to feed the chickens, who are given intriguing Addams Family-inspired names.
“We have Wednesday, Morticia and Lily so they are spooky chickens just to begin with,” said Torge.
In addition to uniting families, the event inspires guests to learn about the zoo’s more than 350 animals, including rare and endangered species.
Zoo Boo Bash takes places Saturday and Sunday through the end of October. General admission tickets get you into the event. Children’s tickets are $17.95 and adult tickets cost $23.95.
Stories that matter are our priority. At Florida Insider, we make sure that the information we provide our readers is accurate, easy-to-read, and informative. Whether you are interested in business, education, government, history, sports, real estate, nature or travel: we have something for everyone. Follow along for the best stories in the Sunshine State.
Melissa’s career in writing started more than 20 years ago. Today, she lives in South Florida with her husband and two boys.
