Tricks And Treats: Boo At The Zoo

Zoos Across Country Go All Out For Halloween

(AP) 
Some zoos use Halloween to show off their wolves, bats, centipedes and tarantulas. Others with nighttime events keep the animals away from the crowds and on their normal schedules.

Elephants and orangutans get into the act at the Toledo Zoo.

Keepers take pumpkins that decorate the zoo and stash them in the enclosures, giving the animals something to play with and stomp on. The elephants get the super-sized pumpkins.

"It doesn't look like much work when they smash them," said zoo spokeswoman Andi Norman.

Denver Zoo's "Boo at the Zoo" (not to be confused with its Brew at the Zoo beer festival in September) takes on a green theme this year.

Children are encouraged to dress up as a superhero for the planet and learn about how they can help the environment. They'll get up close with vampire bats, reptiles, spiders and other creepy creatures.

The Louisville Zoo in Kentucky is decorated by themes for its 14-day long event that brings in 90,000 people. Candyland Way is filled with lollipops, candy canes and sweets; Pumpkinville, USA is home to a hill of glowing jack-o-lanterns; Land of Oz is where children can follow a yellow brick road to meet Dorothy, the cowardly lion and the tin man.

Riders on the carousel will notice that it spins in the wrong direction while passengers on the train should watch out for the headless horseman.

"It's been 26 years and he's never caught the train," zoo spokeswoman Kara Bussabarger said.

Some zoos have been celebrating Halloween for more than two decades while others, including the San Diego Zoo, are just adding events this year.

The San Diego Zoo's Boo at the Zoo in its children's area on Oct. 31 will include candy and a chance to meet some not-so-spooky animals.

For the adventurous, the zoo will have three Spooky Sleepovers while the San Diego Wild Animal Park will put on Pumpkins at the Park, complete with a scavenger hunt and the extinct animal graveyard.

SeaWorld parks in San Diego, San Antonio, and Orlando, Fla., also all will have Halloween events this year, with various attractions and shows.

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TOLEDO ZOO
- 419-385-5721
- Little Boo at the Zoo: Oct. 23-24
- Pumpkin Path: Oct. 25-26
- $4 for members who trick-or-treat, nonmembers: $10 for children who trick-or-treat (price includes admission).

DENVER ZOO
- 303-376-4800.
- Boo at the Zoo: Oct. 25-26, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Free with zoo admission

CLEVELAND METROPARKS ZOO
- 216-661-6500.
- Boo at the Zoo: Oct. 16-19 and Oct. 23-26, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
- $7; under age 2 free.

NATIONAL ZOO Washington, D.C.
- 202-633-4800
- Boo at the Zoo: Oct. 23-26, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
- $15 members, $25 nonmembers.

LOUISVILLE ZOO
- 502-459-2181
- World's Largest Halloween Party: Oct. 4-5, 9-12, 16-19, 23-26
- Thursday-Friday 5-8 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 4-8 p.m.
- Members free, nonmembers $8.

AUDUBON ZOO New Orleans
- 504-861-2537
- Boo at the Zoo: Oct. 24-26.
- $16, 5-9:30 p.m; $13, 7-9:30 p.m.

LITTLE ROCK ZOO
- 501-666-2406
- Boo at the Zoo: Oct. 24-31, 6-9 p.m.
- $4 advance, $5 at gate

SAN DIEGO ZOO
- 619-231-1515
- Boo at the Zoo: Oct. 31, 5-6:30 p.m. or 6:30-8 p.m.
- $12 for members, $15 for nonmembers.

- Spooky Sleepover: Oct. 11, 18, 25
- $109 members, $121 nonmembers

DETROIT ZOO
- 248-541-5717
- Zoo Boo: Oct. 17-19, 24-26, 30-31, 6-8 p.m.
- $6, under age 2 free; $10 at gate (if tickets available)