Madhouse diaries : A Halloween trip to the zoo

As I told you last week, our local zoo had a Halloween treasure hunt and crafting session going on during half term, so we went along to join in. It wasn't just the spooks and ghouls coming out for the day though - we actually got up close to some of the animals that usually stay hidden away at the far end of their enclosures or in their houses. The first was the otters.

We've seen them swimming around in their water area before but this time, they both came right up to the fence and sat looking at us.

They even climbed up and held on to the face - maybe they were pretending to be meerkats for Halloween !

The hens and cockerels were pecking about in the grass and the autumn leaves really showed off their bright colours.

The shaggy-haired Poitou donkeys look very placid in this photo but two minutes before, one of them was rolling around on the floor with his legs in the air !

The goats were equally playful, hopping up on the tables dotted around their enclosure.

The owls were wide awake - possibly something to do with all the dead chicks scattered around their cages waiting to be eaten, ewww !

It was also feeding time for the lynxes. Every now and again, the trap at the back of the enclosure would open, they'd go running in then come back out with a dead animal hanging out of their mouths. We couldn't see what it was that they were eating but I'd say rabbits.

After devouring their meal, they sat licking their paws to get them clean again. We've never seen them so full of life - they're usually fast asleep under the tree houses.

The reindeer were up by the fence tucking into some straw and branches.

One of the bears was out but the other was peacefully sleeping in a bear cave - usually they're both pacing around looking quite agitated so it was nice to see them seeming more settled.

The marmosets are usually licking up a sugary nectar that has been dabbed all over the enclosure but I'm not sure what they were gobbling up this time - it looked like bread. They were sitting just on the other side of a piece of glass from us, so we could see them really closely.

The anteater was hidden away in his shelter as usual, but he poked his head out a couple of times and Sophie managed to get a couple of photos.

He really does have a strange shaped head !