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Poppy, a mountain lion at the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park, explores her enclosure and the Halloween-themed “enrichments,” including pumpkins, ground meat, and blood popsicles, left by zookeepers during the annual Halloween Zoo-Tacular on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) -
OC Zoo visitors stop at one of several scavenger hunt locations scattered throughout the zoo during annual Zoo-Tacular at Irvine Regional Park on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) -
Max Gunterus, 2, of Rancho Santa Margarita reaches out to touch an animal skull on display at the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park during Halloween Zoo-Tacular on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) -
Poppy and Ray, sibling mountain lions at the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park, explore their enclosure and the Halloween-themed “enrichments,” including pumpkins, ground meat, and blood popsicles, left by zookeepers during the annual Halloween Zoo-Tacular on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) -
Westley Thompson, 5, of Huntington Beach stands by an animatronic “Slimer,” at a display created by Orange County Ghostbusters, outside the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park during Halloween Zoo-Tacular on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) -
Judy Vlastakis, a volunteer docent at the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park, holds Reya, an American Kestrel, during the zoo’s annual Halloween Zoo-Tacular on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) -
Patty Lee of Irvine takes a photo of her daughter, Audrey Truong, 6, on a mountain lion statue at the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park during the annual Halloween Zoo-Tacular on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) -
Santiago, a 16-year-old mountain lion at the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park, carries a pumpkin as he strolls through his enclosure during the annual Halloween Zoo-Tacular on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) -
Gonzalo Masias, 4, of Duarte reaches out to touch a live snake, with some encouragement from his parents, during the annual Zoo-Tacular at the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) -
Darby Perry of Laguna Niguel holds her daughter, Huxley Perry, 2, as they check out an animatronic “Slimer,” at a display created by Orange County Ghostbusters, outside the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park during Halloween Zoo-Tacular on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) -
Salvador, an ocelot at the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park, explores his enclosure and the Halloween-themed “enrichments” left by zookeepers before feeding time during the annual Halloween Zoo-Tacular on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) -
Amairani Vazquez and her son, Efren Romero, 6, of Riverside check out animal skulls and pelts on display at the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park during Halloween Zoo-Tacular on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) -
Amber Kaur, 7, of Tustin checks out a goat in a butterfly costume along with members of the Orange County Ghostbusters, Kayla Nakai, Tom Sievers, and Victor Salas, from left, at the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park during the annual Zoo-Tacular on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) -
Penelope Goodwin, 5, of Yorba Linda climbs on a mountain lion statue at the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park during the annual Halloween Zoo-Tacular on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) -
OC Parks Zookeepers work to add treats and entertaining “enrichments” to a mountain lion enclosure at the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park during the annual Halloween Zoo-Tacular on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) -
Ziggy, the OC Zoo’s black jaguar, dives onto ground meat on a large jack-o-lantern, one of several “enrichments” left for him in his enclosure during the annual Halloween Zoo-Tacular in Irvine Regional Park on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) -
Emma Baldwin, a Zookeeper at the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park, sets up hand-shaped blood popsicles, next to a grave marker that reads “RIP I pet the big kitty,” as she “enriches” the jaguar enclosure just before feeding time during annual Halloween Zoo-Tacular on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) -
Gillian Jeffrey, a volunteer at the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park, strokes the head of Minion the owl as he chirps loudly, during the annual Halloween Zoo-Tacular on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) -
Debbie McNamara, a volunteer at the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park, dressed as an elf, shows guests a jar of rodent bones collected from owl pellets during the annual Halloween Zoo-Tacular on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) -
Dustin Levine, an Animal Keeper at the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park, sets up “enrichments” inside the ocelot enclosure before feeding time during the annual Zoo-Tacular on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) -
A crowd looks on as Poppy and Ray, sibling mountain lions at the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park, explore their enclosure and the Halloween-themed “enrichments,” including pumpkins, ground meat, and blood popsicles, left by zookeepers during the annual Halloween Zoo-Tacular on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
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Poppy, a mountain lion at the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park, explores her enclosure and the Halloween-themed “enrichments,” including pumpkins, ground meat, and blood popsicles, left by zookeepers during the annual Halloween Zoo-Tacular on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
For years, the OC Zoo has made sure the animals enjoy the holidays as much as their human visitors.
So over the weekend, as youngesters in costumes trick-or-treated and did crafts around the zoo, the animals enjoyed their own Halloween surprises — much to the delight of zoo visitors.
Among the first to enjoy their jack-o’-lanterns filled with appropriate treats were the big cat residents of the zoo, with the bobcat Bernice stalking her ghoulish prey while Ziggy, a black jaguar, tore into his treat.
The zoo’s staff and volunteers also gave visitors educational talks about the animals.
The zoo, in the heart of Irvine Regional Park, is open daily and costs $2 per person. It is home to bears, a variety of large cats, birds, kit fox and more. Its focus is animals of the Southwestern United States.