Tallinn Zoo hosts pumpkin party this Saturday
On Saturday October 29, Tallinn Zoo will mark the end of its annual pumpkin and vegetable collection campaign by hosting a special pumpkin party.
At the party, visitors can find out how many pumpkins each of the zoo's animals can eat, solve a fun crossword puzzle and learn lots of new things about the animal kingdom.
While at Tallinn Zoom, there is also the chance to visit an exhibition created by Tallinn Botanical Garden entitled: "An Exciting and Colorful Autumn Flower - The Pumpkin," which introduces guests to all the different pumpkin species that can be found growing in Estonian gardens.
According to Jelena Motorenko, head of Tallinn Zoo's food kitchen, the amount of pumpkins donated this year has been rather modest compared to previous years, however, schools and kindergartens have sent a lot of other vegetables for the animals including apples, cabbages, carrots, cabbages and potatoes.
"This fall has been a very good for apples, and a lot of gardens have a surplus. A complete blossoming of apples! By the beginning of October, we had already harvested over 3 tons of apples, which is enough for us to feed the animals. Unfortunately, as apples only maintain their goodness for a short time, we had to limit how many we could accept," said Motorenko.
While this year's pumpkin harvest has not been particularly large, educational institutions and other good people who participated in the campaign have contributed a huge amount to help feed the animals. In total, the zoo has already received nearly 10 tons of garden and vegetable produce via donations.
Fifty schools and nurseries joined in with the pumpkin and vegetable collection campaign this fall. Participants came from every corner of Estonia, though most were from Tallinn and Harju County, where 35 educational institutions got involved.
The aim of the campaign is to collect produce for the animals to eat, as the zoo is sadly short of home-grown vegetables. Homegrown fruit and vegetables for the animals at Tallinn Zoo can be donated during the zoo's opening hours until October 29.
More information is available on Tallinn Zoo's official website (in Estonian) here.
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Editor: Michael Cole
