FEEDING TIME AT THE ZOO
FEEDING TIME AT THE ZOO
Ever wondered what it takes to keep tens of thousands of animals at the zoo well-fed and thriving? From the tiniest insects to towering Northern giraffes, each species has its own unique dietary needs. And now, with the opening of Heart of Africa on the horizon, our conservation experts have been hard at work developing nutrition plans for a whole host of new species.
We caught up with Niamh Randall, the zoo’s Animal Nutritionist, to find out more.
Q: What does your role entail?
As one of only three Animal Nutritionists working in UK zoos my job is quite unique, and every day is different. My main role is to ensure that the diet plans for every single animal at the zoo are not just adequate, but are carefully tailored to their specific needs. That means conducting regular diet reviews, and working closely with the teams who care for the animals, including zoo keepers and vets.
I’m also involved with the sourcing of food as part of our Animal & Plant Logistical Services team. We conduct regular reviews of suppliers to check that the food the animals eat is being sourced sustainably and ethically. As you can imagine a zoo of our size goes through a huge amount of food every month, so this is no mean feat.
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Q: There are lots of new species joining us in Heart of Africa. How do you plan a diet for an animal you’ve never had experience of caring for before?
It depends on the animal. For some of the species we care for which are critically endangered, the level of available information on their diet habits can be lacking, so our first port of call is always to speak to other conservation zoos who have cared for the species. Knowledge sharing between zoos is extensive when it comes to nutrition, and I have contacts across the world who I’m in constant communication with.
When animals are set to arrive, we’ll start speaking to the zoo they’re coming from well in advance. We’ll ask questions about feeding habits, nutritional and medical history, and any dietary quirks of particular individuals. To make sure the move goes as smoothly as possible, we’ll always try to keep an animal’s initial diet very similar to what they were eating at their previous zoo. Once they’ve settled into their new habitat here at the zoo, we’ll closely monitor them and gradually tweak their diet accordingly.
Q: How long has it taken you to prepare for the opening of Heart of Africa? That's a lot of new animals to feed!
While the arrival of so many new species has required a huge amount of preparation for me and the teams I work with, thankfully we’ve not had to develop hundreds of diet plans all at once. This is because our behind-the-scenes Conservation Breeding Management Area at the zoo has been gradually welcoming Heart of Africa residents over the last 18 months. So while some of the animals in Heart of Africa will be new to visitors, we’ve actually been feeding many of them for over a year.
That doesn’t mean there haven’t been challenges along the way though, and in my role it’s important to always be monitoring diets to keep the animals happy and healthy.
In my role it’s important to always be monitoring diets to keep the animals happy and healthy.
Q: When you say you monitor animal diets, how do you know if changes need to be made?
I work very closely with our keepers who care for animals day-to-day, as well as the zoo’s vet team who conduct regular health checks.
Keepers know the animals in their care better than anyone and will have extensive knowledge of the eating habits of individuals. If they notice an animal is eating less than normal, then they’ll raise this with me and together we’ll figure out what the issue could be. This could be anything ranging from seasonality of the food we give them, to social dynamics with other animals. Quite often the issue is certain individuals eating more than they should. At this point I’ll discuss with keepers whether there are methods we can use to feed these animals separately to make sure everyone eats an equal share, or introduce healthier alternatives into their diet.
Animals are also regularly weighed and given blood tests by our vet teams, and they will reach out to me if any abnormalities are observed in the results. At this point my job can sometimes feel like detective work; I’ll begin by identifying potential nutritional issues, and discuss planned diet changes with both vets and keepers. This could include anything from increasing levels of vitamin D in an animal’s diet, to changing the time of day or method of feeding.
I work very closely with our keepers who care for animals day-to-day, as well as the zoo’s vet team who conduct regular health checks.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job as an Animal Nutritionist?
Probably the range of animals I get to help care for and the huge variety in the role. While nutrition is a big part of my job, it’s only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to feeding animals. There are so many behavioural and ecological factors I need to be aware of, including the way food is presented to animals, and how animals interact with each other.
Take the okapis for example. We know that whenever one of the female okapis is in season we’ll see a noticeable increase in activity levels from the male, Stomp. He can detect the hormone changes and will move around the habitat more to show interest in her. This in turn leads to him using more energy, and we know to plan for this in advance by giving him more food.
Enrichment is important as well, ensuring we feed animals in a way that mimics natural behaviours as much as possible. Some animals need to eat food at a certain height to keep their teeth healthy. Others, like the jaguars and Sumatran tigers, will have food hidden in hard-to-reach places in their habitat so they can carry out natural hunting behaviours.
Combine all of that with the fact individual animals all have different likes and dislikes when it comes to food, and this really is a job where no two days are the same. There’s always something new to learn, and seeing animals eating well and thriving never fails to be rewarding.
There’s always something new to learn, and seeing animals eating well and thriving never fails to be rewarding.
