Zoo Will Serve Up ‘Feast for the Beasts’

When confronted with the pumpkins that are a part of many Thanksgiving meals, few of the animals in Moorpark College’s teaching zoo think to eat them.

But that doesn’t mean they can’t find other uses for the gourds.

“Some just like to sit on them, some just like to throw them around,” said Mara Rodriguez, the program’s education coordinator.

The zoo, formally known as the Exotic Animal Training and Management program, will host a post-Thanksgiving “Feast for the Beasts” Saturday and Sunday.

The zoo’s 160 animals will receive extra portions of food, plus pumpkins and boxes of bones to gnaw on or play with as they choose.

The animals--from 115 species, including lions, camels and monkeys--will also be on display during shows in the zoo theater throughout both afternoons.

The feeding, however, will not take place in the open theater, where nothing separates spectators from the animals.

“The animals will get so excited that they’ll need to be enclosed,” Rodriguez said.

The zoo opens at 11 a.m. both days. Admission is $4 for adults, $2 for children.