How does a zoo feed the animals when it is feeding time?
Image by margaretkilljoy
Feeding a dead mouse to a cornsnake. (apparently he’s too chicken for live food?)
Question by : How does a zoo feed the animals when it is feeding time?
Do the employees feed them or do the customers feed them? I have never been to a zoo before so is it free to feed the animals and do you get to feed them live chickens?
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4 Responses to How does a zoo feed the animals when it is feeding time?
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Visitors do need feed the animals due to the chance of death. Zookeepers feed the animals at specific times. The Zoo has scientists and dietitians that create a specialized meal for every animal.
EDI AI System
August 29, 2013 at 12:44 am
The staff feeds them. There are signs that say not to feed the animals. Feeding them the wrong thing can make them sick or even kill the small ones. They feed the predators raw meat – never live animals.
At petting zoos, however, you can feed the animals. Although they only have goats and stuff – no lions.
AaronB
August 29, 2013 at 1:35 am
well, usually they leave the lion cage door open and nature takes care of the rest.
Evan
August 29, 2013 at 1:42 am
Bird parks often allow you to purchase feed for the birds, and sometimes you can feed farm animals. Very recently a lot of zoos have built walk in rainbow lorikeet enclosures where you can buy pots of nectar, and the birds fly onto your arm to drink it. There is also a zoo where you can go on a boat trip on a man made lake and feed sealions dead fish. You have to pay for it, though.
A lot of mammals are fed by the keepers. It is illegal in most areas to feed any animal an animal with a backbone while it’s still alive, if that makes sense. You can’t feed any animal a live chicken because a chicken has got a backbone, but you can do pretty much anything with an insect because it has no backbone.
Also, consider the fact that zoos depend on the weather for visitors. If visitors were the food source for animals at the zoo, then the animals would all die in the winter when people want to stay inside. ;P
Cathy
August 29, 2013 at 2:35 am