Tallinn zoo animals feast on tons of donated apples
Tallinn Zoo received three tons of apples today from seven Estonian towns. It's Somersby's Apple Day in the zoo.
The first to feast on juicy, homegrown apples will be African elephants Draay and Fien at 15:30.
"Many of our inhabitants, especially elephants, rhinos, and hippos, but also bovids and monkeys, really like the apple season," said zoo director Mati Kaal.
Apples were collected last weekend in Elva, Tõrva, Põlva, Paide, Türi, Kehtna and Rapla. Almost 2,000 garden enthusiasts donated close to 3,000 kilograms of fruit.
Because the zoo's pantries could not hold such a hoard, some of the apples were sent to the deer, goats and raccoon dogs in Toosikannu Safari Park.
Tallinn Zoo runs annual fruit and vegetable collection campaigns, but this was the first year apples arrived from all over Estonia.
Another staple in the animals' autumn diet is pumpkins. First pumpkins have already arrived at the zoo, but a large Pumpkin Party will not take place for another three weeks, on October 17.
In addition to fruit and veg, Tallinn zoo is also raising money for a new home for its polar bears. The growdfunding campaign was started by two visitors who were worried about the narrow living conditions of the polar bears and decided to start collecting money to help build a new home for them.
New home for the polar bears (Tallinn Zoo)
The zoo hopes that with a new arctic house they will be allowed to keep the polar bear cub Nora, who was born in the Tallinn in November 2013.
Polar bear cub Nora enjoying the Pumpkin Party 2014 (Maaja Kitsing/Tallinn Zoo).
Editor: M. Oll