Oakland Zoo animals enjoy fruit after truck crash

Boxes of bananas and jack fruit being unloaded. (Courtesy Oakland Zoo/Erin Harrison)
Giraffe Keeper Amy Phelps and Brian Deering of Fair Foundation unloading the truck. (Courtesy Oakland Zoo/Erin Harrison)
Keeper Elizabeth Abrams checking out the donated bananas. (Courtesy Oakland Zoo/Erin Harrison)
African elephant, Osh, trying jack fruit for the first time. (Courtesy Oakland Zoo/Erin Harrison)
Group of keepers with jack fruit and bananas, in front of the boxes that were unloaded. (Courtesy Oakland Zoo/Erin Harrison)
A sun bear at the Oakland Zoo enjoys some of the donated jack fruit. (Courtesy Oakland Zoo/Erin Harrison)
Giraffe keeper Amy Phelps feeds the giraffes some of the donated bananas. (Courtesy Oakland Zoo/Erin Harrison)
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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Animals at the Oakland Zoo were treated to a buffet of tropical fruit after a truck spilled its shipment on a freeway.

The Oakland Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/1rRTyLi) about 13,000 pounds of plantains and jackfruit were donated to the zoo Wednesday after the fruit truck overturned on Interstate 580. Nobody was hurt.

Bears, giraffes and elephants dined on the treats, though zookeepers say some of the animals initially were hesitant to taste the unusual fruits.

Zoological manager Darren Minier said only fruit in good condition without major bruising, broken skin or insects would be fed to the animals.

The newspaper reports the Alameda County Food Bank received about 35,000 pounds of fruit, as well.

The fruit spilled after the truck collided with a pickup early Monday in the Altamont Pass.

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Information from: The Oakland Tribune, http://www.oaklandtribune.com

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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