This is the moment elephants smashed giant pumpkins at a zoo event in Oregon.

Footage shows a pair of jumbos enjoying their treats during the 27th annual Squishing of the Squash on October 16.

Steve Lefave, who oversees the zoo's Asian elephant area, said: 'We gave our elephants some extra-large pumpkins to stomp on and chomp on. First, they squashed them, then they noshed them.'

Eight-month-old Tula-Tu was too young to join the main event, as one of this year's pumpkins outweighed her. Care staff presented her with a smaller pumpkin, which she kicked around like a football, previewing the festivities.

The Squishing of the Squash tradition began in 1999 when Hoffman's Dairy Garden of Canby donated a prize-winning 828-pound pumpkin for the elephants. Local farmers continue to contribute surplus pumpkins to support the zoo's enrichment programmes, which stimulate and challenge animals for their well-being.

This year's pumpkins included a 1,000-pounder for Tula's older brother, Samudra, and their father, Samson. The pumpkins were provided by Larry Nelson, a member of the Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers Club.

Asian elephants face severe threats in the wild. Habitat loss, human conflict, and disease put them at risk. Only 40,000 to 50,000 remain, scattered from India to Borneo, with their range overlapping 20 per cent of the world's human population.

The zoo's 60-year elephant care program includes a $1 million fund for Asian elephant conservation. It also works with local communities in Borneo to replant forests and promote peaceful coexistence.

Asian elephants are the largest land animals in Asia, found in forests and grasslands across India, Southeast Asia, and parts of China.

They are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and their numbers continue to decrease.