Feeding of Wild Animals

Feeding of wild animals is different under captive conditions and in free ranging conditions.

Feeding of Wild Animals is a controlled activity in case of captive wild animal species unlike in case of free ranging wild animal species in which cases, the animal by itself attempt to have some control measures.

Differing feed habits are there in case of captive wild animal places that are rich in multiple species of wild animals.

Hence, one should have a preliminary knowledge of the feeding related activities in the concerned wild animal species and a basic knowledge of nutrition, proper diets etc. is an essential one.

Scientific mode of feeding-strategies forms the basis for the scientific management of wild animal places.

Classification of Wild Animals Based on Feeding Behaviour

Herbivores

They constitute the wide spectrum of different species of wild animals with anatomical adaptations comprising of symbiotic microbial population of bacteria, protozoa etc.

The feed resources to these animals have in general low nutritional values but are bulky in nature.

Among herbivores, the ones with complex stomach (ruminants) are the most efficient ones and the roughages and forages are most efficiently utilized by the species. Microbial fermentation is the mode of digestion in these species.

Example: Gaur, deer, giraffe, antelopes like blackbuck, buffaloe etc.

Pregastric fermenters are also available as wild fauna like kangaroo, wild pig, hippopotamus etc. Similarly, hind gut fermenters like rabbits, guinea pigs, capybara (cecal fermentation) and zebra and wild asses (colon fermentation) are also existing under captive conditions.

Cecotrophs are the ones that are produced in the morning and are the soft materials that are often consumed directly from the anal region. Animals like rabbit and hares produce these soft fecal pellets that have high protein, fiber and water contents with increased amounts of vitamin B complex.

It is noteworthy to note that the bulk eaters like elephants or rhinos have poor digestive efficiency but meet their nutritional requirements by consumption of high levels of feed intake and fast rate of food transit without digesting fiber.(as the case with giant panda).

Carnivores

Carnivores are the meat eating animals and require a highly digestible and high quality food resources with nearly all the types of nutrients.

The various species of this group require most of the times unique type of nutrition. For example, felids need a dietary requirement for amino acid ‘taurine’ and preformed vitamin A and essential fatty acid ‘arachidonic acid’.

Omnivores

Large group of wild animals belong to this in general. Most of the rodents, flying fox, sloth , bears, non-human primates, pigs many species of birds etc. belong to this group.

Carbohydrates become the major nutrient received from the plants, while moderate amount of protein and fat are received from meat sources.

Significance of Balanced Nutrition

• Longer life span of the animal
• Maximal reproduction
• Maximal infant survival rate
• Appreciable health status
• Acquiring of good immune mechanisms

General Nutrients and Feed Stuff

Carbohydrates

• Carbohydrates is the chief source of energy in case of wild animals.
• Ruminants like deer or giraffe or antelope make use of the complex carbohydrates subsequent to the bacterial actions in the rumen and the rumen microflora help the proper digestion of nutrients.
• Cereals, grains, roots, tubers and fruits have high carbohydrates.
• Fruits are rich in pentoses and hexoses, whereas the tubers and seeds are rich in glucose.

Proteins

• More significance needs to be provided towards the provision of adequate amounts of protein to wild animals especially the carnivores.
• The proteins comprise the ingredients of internal frame work of cells esp. the interstitial cells like dentine, osteoid tissue, connective tissue etc.
• Essential amino acids like arginine, methionine, threonine, leucine, lysine etc. are to be given importance during the provision of protein rich diets.
• It is to be noted that protein deficiency may result in retardation of the growth rate, cessation of lactation in case of nursing animals, impairment of reproduction, decreased body resistance level etc.

Roughages

• Tree and shrub leaves, grass and legume silages, straw, fodder, hulls, shells, maize, hay etc. form the roughages.
• They are bulky in nature but are poor in energy content and are rich in fiber.

Concentrates

• These are low in fibre but are rich in protein or energy content.
• Cereal grains, non-cereal seeds like amaran thus green, grain milling by-products like wheat and rice bran, beet pulp, citrus pulp, molasses etc. fall under this category.
• Fish meal, dried milk products like skin milk powder, sunflower meal, cotton seed meal etc. provide more than twenty per cent crude protein.

Mineral Mixtures

• Mineral supplements need to be added along with the routine food materials to be offered to the dietary items of captive wild animals. It to be borne in mind that minerals also are supplied by a balanced diets.
• However, these can be supplied as mixtures including lime stone, dicalcium sulphate, salt, trace mineral mixtures etc.
• Among minerals, it is the zinc that has effect on the hair growth and calcium with phosphorous are also to be given maximum significance in case of wild animals.
• Deficiency of minerals like calcium and phosphorus may lead to development of bone disorders like rickets, osteodystrophy etc. Nursing animals need an additional allowance of calcium in their dietary items.

Water

• Watering in case of wild animals has to be given more significance. Generally wild animals prefer water content and even in the wild, wild animals move to the water holes frequently in every day.
• However, it is to be understood that certain species may not take water much like blackbucks. The water requirement may be met by water content of food itself or through the oxidation of organic constituents that produces metabolic water.
• High moisture diets are generally preferred by the wild animals like non-human primates. It is also equally true that high moisture food items are often subjected to the fungal as well as the microbial proliferation.
• Wild ruminants mostly drink water either in the late evening or early morning. Camels have capacity to take more water at a time. Wild animals like felids require the provision of water ad libitum.

Feeding Strategies in Case of Wild Animals

Otters, badgers, pelicans, penguins, gharials, dolphins, ferrets, pole cats, mink etc. are often fed with fishes.

Hence, more care needs to be taken while feeding the fish to the wild animals.

Rotten fish or fish with more pungent smell are to be avoided. Gill regions in the fishes need to be examined for the freshness.

Avoid the feeding of fishes like carps and herring that contain the enzyme termed thiamenase since this may destroy the thiamine in the diet.

Cooked fish or fishes like butter fish and mackerel may be used. Usage of oily fish like herring in fish meal may lead to the oxidation of vitamin A and E in the diet.

Wide trays may be used for feeding of species like star tortoises.

Feeding Ration of Wild Animals

Bonnet macaque

• Rice 50 gms
• Banana 3 nos
• Orange/Mango ¼ no.(100-150gm size)
• Guava ¾ no
• Groundnut (WOS) 15 gms
• Bengal gram 15 gms

Jungle cat

• Chopped beef 250 gms
• Bread slice 2 no
• Milk 100 ml

Jackal

• Beef without bone 500 gms
• Liver 100 gms
• Chicken 250 gms weekly once.

Hyena

• Beef 3 kg/day
• Liver 100 gms
• Chicken 500 gms weekly once.

Sloth bear

• Ragi (cooked) 250 gms
• Rice gruel + black gram 150 + 50gms
• Orange / Mango 2 nos
• Guava 4 nos
• Tapioca 100 gms
• Jaggery 200 gms
• Groundnut (WOS) 100 gms
• Honey bi-weekly
• Milk ½ litre
• Radish 100 gms
• Bread slices 2 nos
• Carrot 200 gms

Otter

• Fish 1.5 kg
• Crab (weekly twice) 300 gms
• Sardine 1.5 kg

Indian Elephant

• Ragi 7 kg
• Horse gram 2 kg
• Salt 200 gms
• Jaggery 250 gms
• Grass 200 kgs
• Sugarcane 4 nos
• Green tree leaves –
• Bamboo / stylo 250 kg
• Coconut 500 gms (1 no)

Porcupine

• Rice 100 gms
• Carrot 100 gms
• Cabbage 100 gms
• Tapioca or sweet potato 100 gms
• Soya bean 20 gms
• Groundnut (WOS) 150 gms

Lion and Tiger

• Beef (with bone) 10 kg
• Liver 500 gms
• Chicken 1 kg (weekly once)

Zebra (adult)

• Wheat bran 2 kgs
• White Bengal gram 100 gms
• Grass and leaves 30 kgs
• Mineral mixture 10 days in a month at regular intervals.
• Lucerne 5 kgs

Panther

• Beef (with bone) 3 kg
• Liver 250 gms
• Chicken 1 kg (weekly once).

Camel

• Wheat bran 2 kg
• White Bengal gram 500gm
• Grass 30 kg
• Leaves (neem, bamboo,
• Subabul, bauhina) 20 kg
• Salt 50 gm
• Cabbage 2 kg
• Banana 6 no
• Leaves of acacia 5 kg

Indian bison (Gaur)

• Wheat bran 3 kg
• Bengal gram 0.5 kg
• Green leaves/ grass L.S

Barking deer/ Spotted deer/Sambar deer

• Wheat bran 1 kg
• White Bengal gram 25 gm
• Grass 7 kg
• Green leaves 3 kg
• Salt 10 gm
• Stylo/Lucerne 2 kg

Peach faced love bird, Fisher’s love bird, Sky blue mask love bird, Love bird (Split)

• Apple (to all) 1 no
• Banana (to all) 1 no
• Thinai 10 gm
• Paddy 5 gm
• Mixed grain 10 gm
• White Bengal gram 5 gm
• Onion 10 gm
• Greens 10 gm
• Shell grit Q.S

Parakeet

• Bread slice 1 no
• Apple (L.S) 3 no
• Sathukudi/Mango/Orange ¼ no
• Guava 1 no
• Groundnut (WOS) 20 gm
• Chilly fruit 10 gm
• Garlic 2 gm
• Paddy 10 gm
• Mixed grains 20 gm
• Bengal gram 10 gm
• Sunflower seed 10 gm
• Green gram 10 gm

Indian Peafowl

• Cabbage 25 gm
• Mixed grains 25 gm
• Paddy 25 gm
• White Bengal gram 50 gm
• Greens 100gm
• Garlic 10 gm
• Groundnut (WOS) 50 gm
• Shell grit 25 gm
• Green gram 25 gm

Owl

• Chopped beef or rat 150 gm/2no/day.
• (each 100-150 gm size).
• Chicks 10 gm (once in a week).

Budgerigar

• Thinai 10 gm
• Greens 10 gm
• Shell grit 20 gm
• Bengal gram 5 gm
• Green gram 5 gm

Emu

• Green gram 250 gm
• Wheat 250 gm (soaked)
• Broiler finisher grumble diet 250 gm
• Rice 250 gm (cooked)
• Milk 100 ml (boiled)
• Tomato 100 gm
• Green banana 2 no

Marsh crocodile (adult)

• Fish (twice a week) 250 gm
• Bone (vertebral column) 100 gm
• Beef 250 gm

Gharial (adult)

• Fish (twice a week) 1 kg
• Bone (vertebral) 100 gm

Python

• Chicken 1 kg (twice a month).
• Rat 8 no (twice a month) each 150 gm size.

Viper

• Chicken 3 no
• Rat 4 no (weekly once) 100-150 gm size.

Cobra

• Chicken 3 no
• Rat 4 no (weekly once) 100-150 gm size.

Iguana

• Carrot 50 gm (daily)
• Cabbage 50 gm (daily)
• Tomato 50 gm (daily)
• Greens 100 gm (daily)

Star tortoise

• Carrot 30 gm (daily)
• Cabbage 30 gm (daily)
• Tomato 30 gm (daily)
• Greens (L.S) 500 gm (daily)

Feeding Habits of Wild Animals

The feeding habit varies from species to species. Chewing bones is a preferred activity among lions, tigers and jaguars and the activity is less in panthers.

These carnivores prefer larger pieces of meat to alleviate hunger more readily than the smaller meat pieces. Lions and tigers carry the beef pieces to one side of the cage before it sits for feeding.

In lion, tiger and jaguar the posture of consumption was of extending the fore legs and holding the meat while the hind legs are tucked up within the body, where as in panthers all the four legs tucked up within the body.

Wild dogs eat while they were in standing position in a hurried gulping manner.

Among the large felines like tiger, lion, panther and jaguar the time taken to consume the meat was from 16.5 minutes to 39 minutes in a very slow manner.

Tigers soon after feeding they lick the cage wall few times and then drink water, where as in lions they drink water soon after feeding.

After the weekly starvation in lions and tigers a characteristic restlessness was evinced by the sound and arrival of the food delivery vehicle.

During the act of drinking the large cats curl tongue backward and then flick it forward, rolling it up slightly into a spoon shape, as they do so and they swallow after every 4 or 5 laps.

Tigers, Jaguars and Panthers show a preference for chicken meat when offered than beef.

Almost all species of the carnivores like panther, lion, wild dog and tiger eat quickly in winter than in summer.

In panther, lion and tiger, smelling and licking of the meat were noticed. Tigers and lions show a greater degree of smelling the licking than the other species.

Elephants use trunk as prehensile organ and may even pick up grass by using strikes with legs on ground and later, the grass materials may be striked on its own legs to wither away the dirt or sand and then by using the trunk, they may place the feed materials into the mouth. The trunk will not be protruded during eating activities of the elephant.

Bears have the habit of climbing the trees or rocks in order to remove the bee hives and by using forelimbs, the hives are destroyed and use to suck honey in addition to lapping using tongue.

Crocodile have the habit of gulping the feed materials.

Sick and Geriatric Diets in Wild Animals

Most seriously ill-wild animals refuse to eat or just pick at the food. Force feeding often may not be practicable especially in carnivores or herbivores.

Soft diet like chicken preferably in cooked form may be attempted as one of the significant diets in wild animal species.

Intra-venous fluids like dextrose saline, Ringers lactate etc, may be chosen in wild animals that have totally ceased eating activities.

Attempts may be done to provide the most palatable food for the targeted wild animal species.

In wild animals especially carnivores with severe gastritis whatever food is offered or ingested, it may be vomited often. In such cases, blend diet may be offered. Egg white may be offered to carnivores with severe vomiting, in addition to administration of 5% dextrose saline solution, in these gastritis affected wild animals.

Provide drinking water ad-libitum to all the sick wild animals in general.

Provision of bland diet in small quantities spaced in several daily doses may help to minimize the incidences of vomiting or rejection by the concerned wild animal species.

Geriatric Animal Feeding

• Avoid feeding with less-digestible feeds.
• Avoid full-stomach feeding.
• Provide adequate quantities of vitamins and minerals.
• Provide water ad-libitum.