Primates at a zoo have been getting into the spirit of Halloween with some spooky themed treats.

Keepers at Port Lympne Reserve in Kent have provided a group of black and white ruffed lemurs and capuchin monkeys with pumpkins carved with creepy faces and smeared inside with organic, speciality peanut spread. Spectre-shaped hangings have also been placed inside the capuchin monkeys’ enclosure, the zoo said.

Animal director Adrian Harland said: “We’re always thinking of new and exciting ways to provide enrichment for our animals. It keeps them active and provides them with lots of interest.”

Top tree list whittled down to two

An oak said to have sheltered Robin Hood and his merry men, and a yew which spans an area the size of the Royal Albert Hall, are two of the finalists in the Tree of the Year competition, the BBC reports.

Run by nature charity Woodland Trust, the contest’s winner will be pitted against trees from other countries in an international competition next year.

More than 200 nominations were whittled down to a shortlist of 10. The finalists include seven oaks, two yews and an apple tree. The winner will be decided by public vote, which can be registered on the Woodland Trust website.

Supermarket’s poppy apology

Supermarket chain Morrisons has apologised after one of its managers suggested an 89-year-old poppy seller should wear a warmer coat rather than sell inside a store.

A shopper claimed to have found the pensioner “freezing” outside the store in Taunton, Somerset, and asked the manager why the elderly man was not selling poppies in the foyer.

In a lengthy post on Facebook, which has since gone viral, Veronica Roach described meeting the poppy seller outside the supermarket. “I took his hand, which was freezing, and asked why he’d set up outside,” she wrote. “I hunted down the manager and challenged him. He said they had their promotion at the door which meant there was no room for the poppy stand.”

Horsing around in swimming pool

A horse in suburban Phoenix, Arizona, needed rescuing after it led itself to water and did more than just drink.

The horse was wandering outside its pen when it somehow fell into the backyard swimming pool and became stuck, Mesa firefighters said.

Fire officers, with the assistance of a veterinarian, tranquilised the horse before pulling it out using several straps, said Mesa fire captain Forrest Smith. The horse was not injured, he added.

Sorry affair at US petrol station

A man robbed a petrol station only to return hours later to give the money back and apologise, police in northern California said.

Cyle Warren Abbott Jr told officers he needed cash to leave town for a fresh start, but then realised his mistake, Eureka Police Sergeant Steve Watson said. Abbott, 23, first entered the petrol station demanding cash with what the clerk believed was a semi-automatic handgun, Sgt Watson said. The clerk gave Abbott some cash and he left, also taking two bottles of beer.

Three hours later Abbott returned, giving back most of the cash and saying he was sorry, Sgt Watson said. He added that the weapon turned out to be a BB gun, which officers have not found.

Pigging out on pilfered pumpkins

A pilfered pumpkin caper in New Hampshire was just a misunderstanding which put some pounds on a herd of pigs.

Foster’s Daily Democrat reported that hundreds of pumpkins were reported stolen following a festival in Somersworth, in south-east New Hampshire. The pumpkins had been set aside behind a school to be sold at a craft fair. But a farmer saw the bins of pumpkins and asked a school employee if he could take them for his pigs.

Police Captain Russ Timmons said the employee did not know the pumpkins were being saved and gave the farmer the go-ahead.