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U.S.WEEKEND WEIRDNESS

Oregon Zoo's Elephants Tackle Huge Pumpkins

Portland's elephants were given huge pumpkins as a seasonal treat, and the zoo's cameras were rolling; the pumpkins were not consulted.

On air: Hank Ledger on Weekend Edition
Published
▶ As it aired · U.S.

Watch it as it aired: Hank Ledger on this story, from Weekend Edition at 11:58 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Z100 Portland's, the jokes are ours.

At a glance

The real story

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What BBN said about it

  1. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe elephants at the Oregon Zoo in Portland were handed some very large pumpkins this week, and Lola Cruz is there live.

  2. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorLola, what's the situation?

  3. Lola Cruz · Senior Field CorrespondentHank, I'm standing outside the elephant habitat at the Oregon Zoo, and the situation is developing.

  4. Lola Cruz · Senior Field CorrespondentThe pumpkins are huge, the elephants are close, and nobody out here is calling for calm.

  5. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorAre the pumpkins armed?

  6. Lola Cruz · Senior Field CorrespondentThey're pumpkins, Hank. They've been sitting out here since dawn with no plan, and the elephants walked straight up like they'd read the file.

  7. Lola Cruz · Senior Field CorrespondentI've covered sieges where the defenders at least had a wall. These pumpkins have a stem.

  8. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorWho's winning?

  9. Lola Cruz · Senior Field CorrespondentThe elephants.

  10. Lola Cruz · Senior Field CorrespondentI assume this is a snack for them, and I want to be clear that these pumpkins did not know that when they signed up.

  11. Lola Cruz · Senior Field CorrespondentBack to you.

  12. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThanks, Lola. For the record, I did ask if the pumpkins were armed.

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The story so far

  1. Oregon gun laws held up in courts; Omar probe; graffiti crew · The New York Times
  2. Oregon's 1970 exploding whale mishap, caught on video · The Washington Times
  3. Oregon to start Brock Thomas at QB over Dylan Raiola · CBS Sports
  4. Weekend plans: shelter dogs, giant Eugene sandwiches, hash browns · AOL.co.uk
  5. Oregon beats Nebraska 17-14 on Raiola's late touchdown pass · Yahoo Sports
  6. Elephant Squashes 500-Pound Pumpkin At Oregon Zoo · FM News 101 KXL
  7. Oregon Zoo's Elephants Tackle Huge Pumpkins (this story)

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Photo: Aaron F. Stone · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 2.0
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