It Takes a Village
FEEDING THE ANIMALS OF AUDUBON IS A FULL-TIME JOB
By Elise Amacker , Audubon Nature Institute
In recent years , what to feed your furry friends has been a question on the mind of many pet owners as commercially available options have expanded to include organic and specialized dry kibbles , as well as raw food options found in coolers at your local pet supply store . Some pet owners even choose to prepare homecooked meals for their pets to have complete control over what their pet eats .
Not many people have time to go as far as preparing fresh custom diets for each of their animals every day , but at Audubon Nature Institute , it ’ s all in a day ’ s work . Every Audubon animal has its own custom diet plan tailored to match what their species would eat in the wild , while ensuring that all the individual ’ s nutritional and medical needs are met . Animal care and veterinary staff monitor the animals ’ weights closely and increase or decrease their daily caloric intake as necessary to keep them at their optimal healthy weight .
Audubon Zoo even has a commissary team who works with animal care and veterinary staff to design , prepare and deliver daily meals and food enrichment for the Zoo ’ s animal residents . Preparing daily meals for Audubon ’ s animals is a complicated and ongoing process . Meal prep begins the day before , resumes at 6:30 a . m . and continues throughout the entire day . Some of the animals eat multiple times a day , while others , like reptile such as snakes and alligators , may go days or weeks without
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