Many animals at the Zoo receive whole prey in their diets. Reptiles, birds and smaller mammal species are fed whole prey including mice, rabbits and fish. African lions, cheetahs, vultures and other carnivores are fed portions of whole carcasses.
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Reptiles, birds and smaller mammal species are fed whole prey including mice, rabbits and fish. African lions, cheetahs, vultures and other carnivores are fed portions of whole carcasses. As with all food for the Zoo's animals, the meat comes from reputable USDA-inspected facilities.
What do zoos do when a large animal dies? They perform a necropsy – which can take all day for an animal as large as an elephant. They offer grief counseling for the staff. The remains are removed from the compound and cremated.
Most boids, pythons, vipers, colubrids, crotalids, and elapids are fed mouse pups, mice, chicks, hamsters, rats, guinea pigs, chickens, ducks, or rabbits. Frozen, thawed prey are usually used in zoos; thawing under refrigeration is recommended.
Anything remaining will be cremated, including even the tiniest of animals. “Everything from guppies to elephants is incinerated,” says Neiffer. While burials were once commonplace at zoos, very few bury their animals anymore.
Adult male gorillas can eat upwards of 45 pounds of food a day; adult females eat about two-thirds that amount. Here at the Smithsonian's National Zoo, our gorillas eat a varied diet made up of browse (fresh tree trimmings), leafy greens, vegetables and fruits that are prepared by our wonderful Nutrition Science team.