Should Zoo Foods be Chopped or Should We ‘Lemur’ them Whole
It remains common practice to chop the food of zoo-housed animals, even when the animals themselves are capable of processing larger food items. Zoo husbandry practices should be based on evidence, so there is a need to identify whether chopped food diets have any benefits for animals as opposed to whole items. Research was undertaken […]
Should zoo foods be chopped: macaws for consideration
Globally, many zoological collections provide their animals with diets that are chopped into small chunks, yet there is limited empirical research to measure the benefits of this practice. Preparing chopped diets takes considerable amounts of zookeeper time, and may affect both the nutritional quality and desiccation of the food. While keepers have suggested that chopped […]
An investigation into keeper opinions of great ape diets and abnormal behaviour
Zoos are evidencing a shift in great ape diets to cultivated fruit-free to achieve a more wild-type nutritional composition (lower sugar, higher fibre). This study aimed to ascertain great ape keeper knowledge and opinions on the removal of cultivated fruit from great ape diets, to investigate feeding regimes currently in use and to understand the […]
Should zoo foods be coati chopped
The process of chopping feeds for zoo animals is common to many zoos, but few studies have evaluated the benefits of this presentation. While the perceived benefits of chopped diets include reduced food aggression, it is acknowledged that chopping feeds is time consuming for keepers and increases the risk of contamination. Given the potential disadvantages […]