Incorporating the science of nutrition into the management of captive animals.
The field of nutrition in the zoo community is still in its infancy with many an unsolved riddle lying ahead. One tool that has been effective in aiding the collection of nutritional information has been a collaborative internship program between the Denver Zoological Gardens and Colorado State University .The internship program allows nutritionally-related projects to be completed at little cost,...
Considerable analytical challenges were imposed on food chemists when Congress passed the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 (NLEA). When this law was ratified, labeling of fourteen food nutrients became mandatory, and thirty-four others voluntary. Many Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) validated methods for foods are matrix or analyte specific. Developing rugged, generic methodology for all foods became...
Serum levels of 25-OH vitamin D, retinol, a-tocopherol and y-tocopherol were determined for captive black and white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata variegata) imported from Park Ivoloina, Madagascar (n=8, 4 males, 4 females).
For purposes of this talk, I will consider “specialty” feeds to be any animal diets other than the traditional agricultural (swine, poultry, cattle) or pet food (dog or cat) markets. This encompasses a broad range of terrestrial and aquatic animals, including birds, mammals, fish, crustaceans, and insects-each species with its own particular nutritional requirements.
Digestive disturbances have been considered a major health issue among captive colobines [Janssen, 1994; Calle et al., 1995]. Inadequate or inappropriate fiber sources may underlie some of these problems. Apart from maintaining normal gastrointestinal function [Van Soest, 1994 ], one critical issue in husbandry of these species is the necessity of providing a suitable diet for supporting pregastric [Stevens, 1988]...
The foraging behavior of two groups of free-ranging primates, ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) and lion-tailed macaques (Macaca silenus), residing on St. Catherines Island Wildlife Center, Georgia was observed seasonally at quarterly intervals for one year. Each group (N=13, N=9, respectively) had unlimited access to native flora and fauna in addition to a daily provisional diet. Representative samples of non-provisioned items...
Pyramiding, is a condition in which the scutes of the carapace of turtles become deformed and elevated, taking on a pyramid shape. Pyramiding is believed to be a nutritional problem, however its exact cause is unknown. Given that the turtle carapace is composed largely of bone, it was hypothesized that it may be caused by an imbalance in dietary calcium...
The total flow volume, flow rate contents of proteins and of several ions (Na+, K+, Ca2+, inorganic phosphate) and tannin-binding properties of both parotid and mixed saliva were measured in sheep, fallow deer and roe deer.