PREVIEW

Oregon Zoo’s famous basketball-playing sea otters are celebrating Halloween in typical style - by slam dunkin’ pumpkins.

While we humans are getting dressed up to celebrate Halloween on Thursday, critters at the Portland attraction are keen to get in on the fun - and none more so than the otters, with their furry Halloween take on Space Jam.

Several years ago, caretakers at the zoo initiated training for the elderly sea otter Eddie, encouraging him to put a ball through a mini basketball hoop to exercise his arthritic elbow joints.

Eddie, who achieved worldwide fame for his dunking skills, was nearly 21 years old when he passed away in 2018, making him one of the oldest known sea otters globally.

In 2019, Juno took up the challenge, quickly mastering the playful act and bringing youthful exuberance to the traditional sea otter dunk, often incorporating a spirited 360-degree spin before making the slam dunk. Now a seasoned slam-dunk veteran at 9 years old, Juno has been joined by the younger duo, Lincoln (6) and Sushi (4).

To celebrate Halloween, the zoo’s animal version of the Portland Trail Blazers replaced their usual basketballs with tiny pumpkins.

Other animals also got in on the pumpkin fun - although their skills are far less honed than their otter chums - with the lemurs, tortoises and red panda Mushu choosing to treat the pumpkins as a tasty snack.

However, elephant Samudra did display some footballing skills - before she crushed her pumpkin ball. Meanwhile, the beavers also enjoyed fun and frolics with some unusual characters - as keepers got in the Halloween spirit and dressed up for the occasion.