What’s on Hyderabad Zoo’s menu? A feast for every inmate daily

The Nehru Zoological Park inmates have perfectly curated, planned meals, keeping them strong and healthy just like in the wild, every day. From lions, tigers, reptiles, primates, to birds, each animal and bird species has their own menu tailored to match their daily dietary needs and satisfy their hunger

Hyderabad: Humans might not always stick to their diet plan, but animals at the Nehru Zoological Park certainly do have their own food chart. From lions, tigers, reptiles, primates, to birds, each animal and bird species at the zoo has its own menu tailored to match their daily dietary needs and satisfy their hunger.

Before the gates are opened for visitors at 8.30 am, caretakers of carnivores fill the steel vessels with red meat, chicken, liver, eggs, fruits, chopped vegetables, and grains. The meat for carnivores is selected, with and without bones with the bones meant to ensure the animals not just have something to chew on, but also get a natural source of calcium.

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Each animal’s meal is measured to match its age, size and activity level. For instance, the lions and tigers are fed half a kg of chicken, along with one egg, in the morning. The meal for afternoon changes, with 5 kg of red meat without bones and 2 kg with bones, 250 grams of liver, 500 grams of spleen, kidney, heart and tongue are served. Half a litre of milk and two raw eggs are included in the morning meal for breeding male lions and tigers.

In addition to raw food, the Sloth bears get cooked food – Jowar, Bajra, Ragi flour, vegetables mixed porridge, pumpkin, carrot and sweet potato mixed porridge. As for elephants, the meal includes over 30 food items from banana, water melon, cucumber, sugar cane, cur, thunga, banana trees, coconut, coconut oil, rice, ghee, and jowar groundnut cake.

In addition to food, the animal’s minerals, calcium and vitamin intake are also taken care of. Calcium carbonate, calcium liquid besides multi-vitamins are part of the carnivores’ meal, enabling them to meet their daily calcium and vitamin requirements.

“We have a team of biologists and nutritionists who prepare detailed diet charts for each animal and the same is followed every day,” Nehru Zoological Park Curator, J Vasantha, told ‘Telangana Today’.

Hyderabad Zoo inmates’ diet chart:

Lions and Tigers

Morning

• Milk: Half a litre and two raw eggs for breeding males
• Chicken: 0.5kg
• Eggs: One

Afternoon

• Red meat without bones: 5 kgs
• Red meat with bones: 2 kgs
• Liver: 250 gms
• Spleen, Kidney, Heart and Tongue: 500 gms

Panther and Jaguar

Morning

• Milk: Half a litre

Afternoon:

• Red meat: 3 kgs
• Liver: 250 gms
• Spleen, Kidney, Heart and Tongue: 250 gms

Jumbo diet

• Banana
• Watermelon
• Carrot
• Cucumber
• Onion
• Sugar Cane
• Beetroot
• Sweet Corn
• Milk Curd
• Thunga
• Paragrass
• Lucerne
• Peepal
• Peepal Tender Branch
• Banana Trees
• Kadvi
• Ragisha
• Coconut
• Coconut Oil
• Rice
• Ghee
• Jowar
• Jaggery
• Horsegram
• Salt
• Hari Boot
• Groundnuts
• Groundnut Cake
• Cabbage
• Groundnut Chikki
• Sapota

Himalayan Black Bear

• Bread
• Banana
• Milk
• Boiled Egg
• Carrots
• Sweet Potato
• Jawar Gatka/Gruel
• Rice gruel with black gram
• Honey

Vitamins, Minerals and Feed Supplements:

Carnivores

• Calcium Carbonate – 5 g for each animal Calcium liquid 5ml
• Multi-vitamin syrup, each 5-10 ml

Herbivores

• Mineral mixture 5-10 gms/day in the cattle feed
• B-Complex syrup 5-10ml in the water, weekly, thrice only
• Roman tonic powders 10-20 gms along with feed once

Primates

• Multivitamin capsules – One

Birds

• B-Complex liquid 5-10ml/one litre of water