At the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, caring for animals means caring for the future of their species, and, when it comes to mealtime, the Zoo's Animal Nutrition team is busy, starting before the crack of dawn, preparing carefully balanced meals for every animal in our professional care.
Carnivores at the Columbus Zoo receive inspected meat containing vitamins and minerals to make sure their diet is complete. To encourage natural behaviors and keep things interesting, they also receive whole prey items and bones.
Just like in their native ranges, our carnivores do not always eat every day. On fasting days, instead of their regular meat diet, they receive a bone. This gives their digestive system a chance to rest and provides a natural way to clean their teeth – a bone works like a built-in toothbrush!
Our Animal Care team makes sure every species gets just the right type of bone for their size and chewing style:
- Arctic foxes receive small, disc-shaped bones.
- Wolverines get medium-sized, oddly shaped bones that are perfect for pawing and gnawing.
- African leopards enjoy sturdy thigh bones with knobby ends they can carry and chew.
- Lions, tigers, and bears – the Zoo’s largest carnivores – are given long, meaty shank bones. In summer, the team even offers them frozen for a longer-lasting (and very cool!) treat.
Every bone offered is carefully considered as part of the animal’s total diet to avoid overfeeding.
Starting a few summers ago, Mexican wolves at the Zoo also got a special menu upgrade – frozen deer legs donated by a trusted local provider. Offered inside their habitat, this encourages pack behavior and provides valuable enrichment. When this feeding is happening, you may see signage at the habitat letting you know.
Preparing meals for hundreds of animals each day takes planning, creativity, and teamwork. The next time you put together dinner for your family, imagine multiplying that effort by thousands – that’s what a day looks like for the Animal Nutrition team at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
Behind every meal served is a commitment to supporting healthy animals, which helps ensure strong, thriving populations. From the smallest arctic fox to the mightiest elephant, nutrition is one of the many ways we contribute to global efforts to protect species for generations to come.
