Werribee Open Range Zoo’s resident hippos and elephants have embraced pumpkin season in the rowdiest way possible, smashing, stomping and devouring giant gourds in a spectacle that feels equal parts adorable and slightly terrifying.
Keepers at the Melbourne zoo have been growing oversized pumpkins specifically for the occasion, serving them up as enrichment treats for the zoo’s three hippos—Primrose and her daughters Tulip and Lotus—whose famously powerful jaws make light work of the hefty produce.
“When you’ve got the biggest mouth of any land animal, you need some seriously oversized snacks,” Werribee Open Range Zoo Savannah Manager Dominic Moss said. “There’s nothing quite like the spectacular crunch of a hippo chomping down on an enormous pumpkin.”
Nature’s Most Powerful Chomp ’n’ Smash
The trio spring into action when called. According to Moss, they “come waddling over and demolish the entire pumpkin in a few chomps,” showcasing just how formidable hippos can be.
The animals are capable of opening their mouths to around 150 degrees, with tusk-like canine teeth that can grow up to 50 centimetres long a reminder that, despite the cute visuals, they’re among the most powerful animals in Africa.
“Hippos could eat canoes, vegetation or, on the odd occasion, people, but we wanted to give them something a bit tastier,” Mr Moss added.
While the hippos crunch through their treats, the zoo’s Asian elephants take a slightly different approach. The herd of nine—including playful three-year-old siblings Aiyara, Roi-Yim and Kati—prefer to stomp their pumpkins into submission first.
Unlike their river-dwelling neighbours, the elephants crush the pumpkins underfoot “like grapes” before scooping up the smashed pieces with their trunks. Each trunk contains more than 40,000 muscles, giving the animals the dexterity to grab, smell and shovel food with ease—a handy skill when you’re consuming more than 100 kilograms of food a day.
“You hear this awesome crunch when they squash the pumpkins underfoot before eating them,” Mr Moss said.
Functionality beyond just a snack
The pumpkin feast does more than mark feeding time. Keepers use it to mentally and physically stimulate the animals, encouraging natural behaviours such as foraging, crushing and problem-solving.
Once the pumpkins are gone, the younger elephants—still riding the sugar rush—often charge straight for the water to swim, dunk each other and continue the fun.
Even as Melbourne heads into cooler weather, visitors can still catch the hippos and elephants enjoying their pools, with the zoo noting that both species remain active in the water year-round.
For families, there’s an added bonus, as kids under 16 can visit the elephants and hippos at Werribee Zoo for free on weekends, public holidays and during Victorian school holidays—making it one of the more entertaining (and loudest) wildlife experiences on offer just outside the city.