Elephant opens pumpkins by stomping on them and eating with his pal

An elephant was caught on video stomping on oversized pumpkins – then gnawing on the giant vegetables with his friend.

Footage shows Luk Chai, a bull at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, NSW, destroying giant pumpkins on Tuesday.

In the video, the six-year-old is joined by male friend Pathi Harn and the two can be seen munching on pumpkins weighing up to 60 kilograms each.

A trailer of the winning pumpkins was presented after this year’s Dubbo Show.

“It’s great to be able to reuse these pumpkins, and their size makes for a great activity for the elephants in a comprehensive enrichment program,” said elephant keeper Bobby Jo Clow.

‘Elephants have great problem-solving abilities, and giving them these pumpkins will encourage them to use these skills.’

Impressive pumpkins have been planted on behalf of students at St Mary’s Public School in Sydney’s west.