Zoos and aquariums are big hits with people by allowing them to see animals they normally would never be able to see in real life. From elephants to gorillas, sharks to clownfish, these locations have many animals to care for, and each one has unique diet needs. Much like humans, animals require specific nutrients in their daily meals to remain healthy.
Veterinarians and nutritionists work with animal care team members to build unique feed rations. Part of this process involves testing what the animal eats to make sure that everything that’s supposed to be in it, actually is. That’s where a forage laboratory, like Zooquarius, comes into play.
Why Test What a Gorilla Eats?
The longevity of an animal’s life has many different factors to it. Even in AZA-certified zoos and aquariums, accidents and sickness can happen. However, an animal’s diet is one thing that care providers can manage daily. From the main meals that animals receive at certain times to the snacks they receive in their enclosures, all of it is carefully monitored for nutritional value.
However, you can’t always tell by looking at something that’s in it. Unlike the human food system, the things that animals are eating don’t always come with a nutrient label to tell what the levels of different nutrients are in it. Often things like hay, banana leaves, rats, or other items are just given to animals. To determine the nutrient makeup, veterinarians or nutritionists will collect a sample of it to send off to Zooquarius.
What Happens in a Forage Lab?
The sample sent into the lab will be processed upon arrival to start its testing journey. A numbered label is assigned to it, and the paperwork is reviewed to see the tests requested of it. Depending on the sample, it will either be placed in an oven to remove excessive moisture or be ground down to start the analysis process.
Within the lab are different departments for all of the analysis available from proteins and fibers to special services and Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS), there’s many spots that a sample might visit for testing. It all depends on the analysis package ordered for the submitted sample.
Once all the testing is completed, the data generated for the sample is checked multiple times before being sent back to the customer. The reason that data is double-checked is because sometimes a sample may generate a result that is outside the normal range for it. Testing it a second time will show if this is a fluke if the sample is an outlier, or if a number was incorrectly typed in. When all of this data is confirmed, a report is emailed to a customer.
What Do Analysis Results Have to Do with Building an Animal’s Diet?
Getting back a report on sample analysis then triggers its own response at the zoo or aquarium. Depending on what was tested, and the results, it may cause a large or small change in an animal’s diet. For instance, if hay being fed to an elephant herd doesn’t have enough of a certain nutrient, then the team can add a supplement to it or another food item.
The report can also be used for measuring the success of swapping around different food items in a diet. A zoo may be trying out a new formulation and using different ingredients to see the impact of switching things around. When receiving test results, they will know the actual nutrient levels to see if that will also affect the animal’s health.
Finally, results can show over time if the quality of feed has increased or decreased causing animal health to deteriorate. While this is a small variable and not something zoos see often at all, it still can be helpful to reflect on changes over the years to track the successes and failures in a feeding program.
Zoos and aquariums care very much for their animals. One of the ways that they help maintain animal health is by regularly testing the food given to the animals. Using a forage laboratory like Zooquarius, animal caretakers can see exactly what is being eaten and if additional food or supplements need to be added to it. For more information about forage testing, visit zooquarius.com.