What do zoo animals eat?
The zoo veterinarian designs and assures the quality of all animal diets. With the help of zookeepers and curators, diets are formulated to keep the animals healthy. In the wild, animals eat to survive, grow, and reproduce. Zoo animals also eat to grow and reproduce, but diets are also used to maintain their psychological health in captivity. Who Eats? All animals eat, but not all eat the same thing or eat in the same way. There are herbivores that eat primarily plants, and carnivores that eat primarily meat. There are insectivores such as the anteater that eat primarily insects. Finally, omnivores eat some of everything. Grizzly bears for example eat meat, fruits and vegetables. This picture is of an anteater licking up a liquid meal with its long tongue. When Do They Eat? Some animals must eat constantly – such as hummingbirds or koalas. Others eat only part of the day, such as deer, snails, and oryx. Hunters, such as lions, eat occasionally, when they catch something to eat. In the
