To keep the zoo inmates healthy and immune under extreme weather conditions in the Capital, the Delhi zoo authorities serve them with seasonal fruits, nutritious and fibre-rich items on a daily basis. These range from green fodder, meat, fish, bananas, watermelons, and pears to chilled kheer, khichdi and even mango drinks like Frooti and Maaza. At present, the zoo is a home to over 1,500 species of animals and birds that gobble up 5,000 kg of different food items every day.
Daily consumption of green fodder in the zoo is a staggering 2,340 kg -- which includes tree leaves, etc. It is consumed by most herbivorous animals, including elephants, giraffe, rhinoceros, hippopotamus and buffaloes to name a few. A major chunk of silage is guzzled by the elephants. The zoo has three elephants, two of which are of Indian origin and one of African. Each elephant at the Delhi zoo consumes nearly 270 kg of food on a daily basis.
Besides green fodder, the herbivores are also fed with tree fodder. On an average, they consume nearly 1,012 kg of tree fodder in a day. The lunch for most animals (herbivores), especially elephants and rhinoceros, during summer also comprises of khichdi and they are fed nearly 27 kgs of it per day. "We feed the elephants and rhinocerous with khichdi as it helps in preventing intestinal blockage. It is very essential as intestinal blockage can have fatal consequences. The khichdi for the animals is made from rice, bajra, haldi, salt and mustard oil. Khichdi also helps in making the digestive system healthy," said Dr N Panneer Sevlam, Veterinary officer at the Delhi Zoo.
In addition to these, animals like giraffe, deer, rhinoceros, hippopotamus and buffaloes are also given special diet food --'Mash' -- which is blend of wheat bran, Bengal gram, meat crust, barley crust, oat crust, nick powder and common salt. The daily consumption of Mash at the zoo is 738 kg. "Mash contains all essential ingredients. It thus, proves to be a balanced diet for the animals," said a zoo official. The zoo has two giraffes, six hippopotamus, two buffaloes and two rhinoceros.
larger carnivores — including the tiger, white tiger, leopards and wolf feast — depend on buffalo calf meat. They jointly consume over 200 kg of meat on a daily basis. "The carnivores are fed with meat as it is a source of 'direct protein' for them. Besides, it also helps in increasing their metabolism," said Dr Sevlam.
However, the smaller meat-eaters, including civet cat and wolf are given fish, fowls and rabbits also at times. "For lions and tigers, there are huge chunks of meat, but for the baby carnivores, the meat is minced and served as Keema," he added.
However, during rain the monkey, deer and chimpanzees are fed with green bhutta. Veena Chandra, store in-charge said, "Proper nutrition is vital to keep the animals healthy. The food given to the animals is always fresh and they are provided with an organically-rich diet."