On January 25th, the third day of the New Year, the "dining table" for lions, tigers, and wolves at Shanghai Wildlife Zoo was a bit "vegetarian": each predator was only allocated 1 kilogram of chicken bones. During the Spring Festival, animals also need to control their eating, stay active, avoid holiday syndrome, and prevent obesity.
Relevant personnel at the Shanghai Wildlife Zoo explained that this is by no means harmful to the animals; it is simply a measure combined with the wild training exercises for the animals. The zoo has a policy of not feeding meat on days ending in five or ten every month, and even during the Spring Festival, this rule is still enforced.
According to the zookeepers at Shanghai Wildlife Zoo, every "no-meat day" (days ending in five or ten) and the day after, are the most active days for lions, tigers, and leopards. They all show greater vitality on these days. This is their survival instinct when they face food shortages and survival crises in the wild. Originally, animals living in urban zoos are the easiest to become overweight, with round bodies. While plump animals may be liked by visitors, they cause the most concern for animal breeding experts. Obesity is the "source" of various diseases, and overly obese animals can also affect their ability to reproduce.
In order to solve this common obesity problem in zoos, and combine it with the wild training exercises, the Shanghai Wildlife Zoo implements a no-meat-feeding system for lions, tigers, and cheetahs every five or ten days of the month. That is, on the 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, and 25th of each month, a fixed amount of meat is not fed, but instead, each predator is given a limited supply of 1 kilogram of chicken bones to satiate their hunger.
Editor: Chen Xiaojing