Paignton's apes are now fed almost exclusively on vegetables, so I was interested to see all these boxes at the back of the Ape House, presumably just delivered. As some of the labels are too small to see in these images, I have listed as much as I can here.
In upper image: left hand stack - peas in pod, yellow peppers: central stack - parsnips, tomatoes, ?, curly kale (in box labelled carrots), ?; right hand stack - spring greens, lettuce, Chinese leaf, pak choi. There are more vegetables in the cupboard behind the boxes, plus an escaped locust (a small number are held in the kitchen upstairs - treats for the orangs?)
In lower image: left hand stack - 3×lettuce, curly kale, carrots; front stack - leeks, cucumbers, Chinese leaf (?); rear stack - parsnips, ?, ?; right hand stack - 2×tomatoes, 2×?, peas in pod.
The gorillas were eating their morning meal as I took these photos. This included spring greens (which they chose first), curly kale, celery and swede (or some other large round root) with bamboo browse in the house and a few corn cobs outside.
One forgets that the ape house keepers also cater for the gibbons, lemurs, swampies, howlers, squirrel monkeys, cotton top tamarins and pygmy marmosets, but observation suggest that the gorillas will get the bulk of this stash. Peppers and tomatoes are thrown to them during the gorilla talk. The orangutan diet during the day seems to consist of a few leaves or odd bits of veg and pellets/seeds, so presumably they get a hearty breakfast and evening meal off show. Observation also suggest that they will get the empty boxes.
@Gigit Good point! The smaller species must get their share, which may include those locusts. About 6 cardboard trays were scattered on the gorilla island with a similar number of corn cobs; the bottom of each tray had been smeared with a spoonful of orange paste which the gorillas immediately licked off - I wondered if it was a supplement mixed with something sticky and palatable like peanut butter.
