SANTA ANA : Truck Crash Bonanza for Zoo Critters

An accident involving a produce truck on the Santa Ana Freeway dumped lettuce and fruits and blocked three lanes of traffic near the Santa Ana Zoo on Friday morning.

But the monkeys, iguanas and birds at the zoo didn’t mind so much.

They enjoyed a feast of fruits and vegetables at lunchtime after the truck’s driver donated some of the spilled produce to the zoo.

“It’s a wonderful treat for them,” said Connie Sweet, the zoo’s animal curator. “Everything we picked up, the packaging was damaged, but not the produce.”

A produce truck from Pacific Provisions of Los Angeles overturned at about 5 a.m. when it collided with a tractor-trailer on the freeway next to the zoo, authorities said.

Much of the salvaged produce was donated to several missions in the Los Angeles area, but the rest was immediately given to the Santa Ana Zoo, authorities said.

The truck’s driver, Mark Welcher, offered the zoo boxes of eggs, tomatoes, kiwi fruit, avocados, zucchini and celery--items usually too expensive for the zoo to buy for the animals, Sweet said.

“This will save us a bundle of money,” Sweet said. “The eggs will last us for several months.”

The fruits and vegetables from the accident will feed many of the zoo’s 250 animals for several days, Sweet said. All the animals will share the goodies, but most of the produce will go the monkeys, she said.

In their cage, two silver monkeys seemed delighted with the change in their diet. Zucchini and iceberg lettuce replaced apple and sunflower seeds.

At feeding time, the monkeys dove into their food bucket, and picked out the new treats while ignoring other items. One monkey guarded two celery sticks in each hand, while the other shoved a handful of lettuce into his mouth.

“They’re eating everything that came off the truck,” said Michelle Claud, an animal keeper. “So far, the only things they’ve touched are the new things.”

The zoo animals weren’t the only ones who got free food Friday though.

The zoo received more food than it could use. Many edible items were donated to the Santa Ana Senior Center, Sweet said.

James Fivesh, a zoo volunteer at the scene of the accident, loaded cartons of eggs, bags of oranges and boxes of lettuce onto trucks to distribute to Senior Center visitors.

“I think it’s a good deal,” said Eva Ruelas, a Senior Center volunteer who helped load the boxes. “Instead of wasting it, the seniors can take it and use it. A lot of people don’t get enough money to buy food.”