The Swedish media reported last week that Sweden was selling 30 year old rotten meat to Poland for human consumption, which made me think what quality of food is fed to our zoo animals. I have heard a rumour that zoos go to supermarkets at the end of the day and collect 'out of date' food to be fed to the animals. I always assumed (or maybe I was told) that only the best is good enough for zoo animals, but what is the truth?
Quality of food for zoo animals?
- Thread starter Zoophile
- Start date
There is absolutely nothing wrong with using 'out of date' supermarket produce. The fact is that the food might not be able to be sold, but that's usually to protect producers, retailers and regulatory authorities from legal action. Most use-by dates are well within the safe consumption time for the food.
If zoos didn't use it, it would just go to waste. And when we're talking about fresh fruit, vegetables and especially meat - that's just not acceptable. Too many resources go into the production of food that is never eaten as it is.
ZYBen
Well-Known Member
Many zoo's do get the stuff from the Supermarkets, some have stupid rules like a Banana ey have by itself cant be sold, so they have to be wasted. I know of Large and Small zoos/parks that do this. The food is generally of good quality, but the consitency of produce varies, it all depends on what people dont buy, alot of really expensive stuff ends up in it (Dragon Fruit and other wierd and wonderful things) .
Lincoln Park Zoo has a full-time nutritionist w/ a PhD and all produce is grade A produce, the same quality that is sold to top hotels and restaurants. It's actually better quality than what the supermarkets sell; the supermarkets sell grade B produce. The red wolves get a beef product that is from the company that the Eight is Enough actor, Dick Van Patten, started called Natural Balance. The wild dogs also get a beef product that comes in a tube but I'm not sure if it's the same product? All food that the keepers give to the animals has to be approved by the nutritionist and the food is ordered and delivered thru a central commissary on grounds.
) considered unsuitable for human consumption as it's been on display for too long, when in actual fact humans could still eat it and come to no harm, hence why zoos use it.When you consider that animals in the wild generally consume ultra-fresh vegetation and newly-killed prey, with the exception of some scavengers and especially Komodo dragons (according to a programme on TV!), then in my opinion Lincoln Park Zoo have got it right. Food does lose minerals and vitamins with age, and although this can be replaced with supplements, it's not ideal. Anyway, I expect, or I hope out-of-date supermarket food is a very minor addition to their normal excellent diet.
JerseyLotte
Well-Known Member
Actually. It depends whether the produce is meat or veg and it depends how the foods will be used.
I was pretty annoyed to say the least when I received premium organic turkey fillets (with every scrap of white stringy bit chopped carefully out) instead of the cheap stuff which is cheap purely because it has more stringy bits in it and looks less attractive. The cost was a difference of £5 per pack and I needed 3 packs, these things happen when people go on holidays etc unfortunately.
This turkey breast was going to go through a meat grinder to be used in a premixed food for Haitian Galliwasps, I'd much rather save £15 and work harder getting it through the grinder.
Pears for instance are a fairly expensive fruit, we buy bruised or overripe pears for some animals which cuts the cost by some 50%. In Herps we use pears sparingly, for things like asian turtle greens or pyxis greens, both of these groups would typically encounter fallen, bruised, overripe fruits in the wild, this is what they prefer.
The wastefulness of humans is disgusting, food that is rejected because it's odd shaped, got soil on it or is two days past it's "display by" date could hardly be used more appropriately than to contribute to zoo animals diets at a lower cost. Saving money and reducing wastage!
I shop from the reduced sections myself and I certainly don't buy anything "grade A", it's just ridiculous, you're talking about food that has left a trail of waste or reduced worth along the way as the majority of produce doesn't make the grade.
I don't think our animals care about whether someone delicately brushed all of the dirt off their green beans, ensured that the carrots grated for them were of a standard shape to start with, checked that every food item they get was comfortably in date or else it's poison.
You may be interested to know though, we've run our own organic farm for a number of years already to provide the majority of our needs and produce species specific food items that cannot be purchased.
The priority for captive animals is to be provided with a nutritionally suitable and varied diet which is presented in an appropriate fashion for their needs.
I was pretty annoyed to say the least when I received premium organic turkey fillets (with every scrap of white stringy bit chopped carefully out) instead of the cheap stuff which is cheap purely because it has more stringy bits in it and looks less attractive. The cost was a difference of £5 per pack and I needed 3 packs, these things happen when people go on holidays etc unfortunately.
This turkey breast was going to go through a meat grinder to be used in a premixed food for Haitian Galliwasps, I'd much rather save £15 and work harder getting it through the grinder.
Pears for instance are a fairly expensive fruit, we buy bruised or overripe pears for some animals which cuts the cost by some 50%. In Herps we use pears sparingly, for things like asian turtle greens or pyxis greens, both of these groups would typically encounter fallen, bruised, overripe fruits in the wild, this is what they prefer.
The wastefulness of humans is disgusting, food that is rejected because it's odd shaped, got soil on it or is two days past it's "display by" date could hardly be used more appropriately than to contribute to zoo animals diets at a lower cost. Saving money and reducing wastage!
I shop from the reduced sections myself and I certainly don't buy anything "grade A", it's just ridiculous, you're talking about food that has left a trail of waste or reduced worth along the way as the majority of produce doesn't make the grade.
I don't think our animals care about whether someone delicately brushed all of the dirt off their green beans, ensured that the carrots grated for them were of a standard shape to start with, checked that every food item they get was comfortably in date or else it's poison.
You may be interested to know though, we've run our own organic farm for a number of years already to provide the majority of our needs and produce species specific food items that cannot be purchased.
The priority for captive animals is to be provided with a nutritionally suitable and varied diet which is presented in an appropriate fashion for their needs.
Well some species (particularly some primates) will only eat over-ripe food. It is more cost effective and actually has little difference in the end product.
I'm not sure that makes it human-quality! In my experience, zoo animals tend to be better fed than the visitors.
I was interested to see that Paignton Zoo will be officially opening their brand new hydroponics installation tomorrow in order to provide herbs, lettuce and fruit year round for reptiles, birds and most of the mammals. I must admit I've spend quite a bit of time just watching the trays of lettuces going round and round and round .......!! It's mesmerising! But somehow fun.
easytigger
Well-Known Member
Belfast zoo recently recieved lots of fruit that arrived at the depot of a major UK supermarket chain, the lorry was 1 degree centigrade over the guidelines and so thousands of pounds worth of fruit would have just been binned, it realy is stupid.
I would say 70% of UK zoos get 'waste' product from supermarkets, it saves money and wastage and that also means it keeps entrance tickets down, after wages, animal feed bills are usually the next highest thing on a zoos budget.
I would say 70% of UK zoos get 'waste' product from supermarkets, it saves money and wastage and that also means it keeps entrance tickets down, after wages, animal feed bills are usually the next highest thing on a zoos budget.
Dan
Well-Known Member
An interesting news story in Denmark and Sweden a couple of weeks ago was that Danish horseowners often send their old horses to be slaughtered in zoos (and fed to the carnivores) instead of selling them to regular slaughter houses/horse traders. One of the reasons given was the fact that the poor horses otherwise might end up on nightmarish lorry trips to southern European slaughter houses, sometimes without being fed or watered for 5-6 days, if sold to the regular traders. (This despicable practise is of course forbidden by law but Danish TV, with hidden camera, has exposed the most horrible cases.) Better then, to give the horse to a zoo where it will be killed as humanely as possible and the meat used for a good purpose.
Apparently the major Danish zoos have "waiting lists" for this; the demand is that big.
Apparently the major Danish zoos have "waiting lists" for this; the demand is that big.
Rookeyper
Well-Known Member
Fort Wayne's produce comes primarily from a company that supplies food to restaurants and health care facilities. We do also pick up random items at the supermarket. We use Natural Balance for our carnivores. We do buy very large sweet potatoes and carrots--not what you generally find in the supermarket, but they work well for our needs. One reason that we don't buy the slightly-out-of-date produce is the need to have a reliable, consistent source of product for our animals.