Elephants Smash Pumpkins at Oregon Zoo During a Fall Event — but One Calf Decided to Play Ball With It

Elephants are often known for their playful and gentle behavior, as they love to interact with each other, splash and enjoy in water, and explore their surroundings out of curiosity. Young elephants, in particular, enjoy tossing various objects and playing simple games. Despite their size, they show remarkable friendliness, becoming one of the most lovable and social animals in the wild. Recently, at the Oregon Zoo’s annual pumpkin-smashing event, which is also known as 'Squishing of the Squash,' one baby elephant stole the spotlight. While the adult elephants prepared to crush the pumpkins, the eight-month-old Asian elephant turned it into a ball and began playing with it.

Since 1999, the Oregon Zoo has celebrated the 'Squishing of the Squash,' a playful tradition where the zoo’s Asian elephants crush tons of giant pumpkins as part of their fun and enrichment activities. This year’s pumpkins, each weighing around 1,000 pounds, were donated by the Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers Club. Using their full strength, the adult elephants broke open the massive gourds with a cracking sound, surprising visitors with their power, as reported by AP News. However, the baby Asian elephant, who goes by the name Tula-Tu and weighs around 775 pounds, was too tiny to crush them.

To make it a part of the fun activity, zoo authorities gave her a smaller pumpkin. Playfully, she kicked and rolled it around like a soccer ball. The heartwarming video of the event, which took place on October 16, was shared on the official YouTube page of the Oregon Zoo (@oregonzoo) and features the baby giant happily playing with the pumpkin. In the caption of the video, they wrote, “Tula's always up to pumpkin.” As soon as the video was posted on their channel, it gained thousands of views from people across the world, with a few of them even taking to the comment section to praise the baby elephant.

One YouTube user, @YouthfulOne, commented, “Nothing cuter than Tula playing with the camera. She knows she’s a diva. Lol, don’t worry, Tula, you will figure out what to do with the pumpkins soon enough. We just love how adorable you are, regardless!” Another person, @theemilyelizabeth, wrote, “Tula-Tu! You are the cutest! I hope you're not too upset with Mom. I'm sure she was impressed with your soccer skills.” Similarly, @joycerabbitt4362 wrote, “Darling baby Tula-Tu plays safely and free from harm at the beautiful elephant area. Thank you for taking care of such a precious gift. We love her.”

Meanwhile, Asian elephants, like Tula-Tu and her family at the zoo, are classified as a highly endangered species. In the wild, their populations are scattered, with only about 40,000 to 50,000 elephants left across Asian countries like India and a few others. The main reason for their population decline is their habitat loss, which is driven by rapid human population growth and the expansion of infrastructure and urban development across the Asian continent. However, different countries have come up with unique ways of fighting for their conservation, also seeing notable success in recent years. These measures include protected habitats, anti-poaching measures, and breeding programs.

You can watch the video here.