Tallinn Zoo accepts vegetables and fruit from the public for its animals

Tallinn Zoo in Estonia accepts vegetables and fruit that are used to feed its animals in autumn. A film crew from the programme "Aktuaalne kaamera +", produced by Estonian public broadcaster ERR, also brought produce to the zoo. Zoo specialist Darja Zubareva stresses that only produce good enough to put on a festive table is accepted.

Pumpkins as food and as toys

Hay is the main part of the diet of kulans, wild relatives of horses and donkeys, while seasonal vegetables are a pleasant variety. Pumpkins must be cut up before being placed in their enclosure. For manuls, or Pallas's cats, a pumpkin is mostly not food but a new toy or decoration. Tanel Sits, a wildlife keeper at Tallinn Zoo, says the cat does not eat the pumpkin: it is environmental enrichment that the animal investigates and may use to sharpen its claws. For that reason pumpkins are not cut for them. If such an item gets lost or the animals lose interest, a new one appears after a while.

Zubareva notes that life on a schedule can bore animals too, so staff change enclosures, add or remove shelves, hide food or let an animal into a new enclosure.

The autumn rhythm at the zoo

Zucchini and apples are eaten by many animals and feature heavily in the autumn diet. The zoo took the apples offered because they were clean and straight from the tree. Produce is weighed, logged and then allocated according to a programme.

Autumn changes more than the menu. Alpine marmots are preparing for hibernation: they are one and a half times plumper than in summer, and may go to sleep toward the end of October. For other animals, cooler weather is a reason to become more active. There are fewer visitors, it is quieter, and daytime heat no longer exhausts the animals.

In October the zoo will hold Pumpkin Day and Snow Leopard Day, and a city camp for schoolchildren will run during the autumn break. Zubareva reminds donors that no produce may be damaged, mouldy or rotten.