Zoo Nutrition

A major expense in any zoo’s budget is its food bill and Chester Zoo is no different, with mouths to feed ranging from corals in the aquarium through to rhinos and elephants. Our food bill to satisfy these diverse appetites approaches £1,000 a day.

Food is clearly an important component in the day-to-day running of any zoo and at a more detailed level, nutrition is not only fundamental to animal welfare but, as with humans, it also is a key element in life expectancy and fertility. As animals do not have the wider access to their native diet, the role of the zoo nutritionist becomes evermore critical.

At Chester Zoo, we are fortunate to have the only full-time zoo nutritionist in the UK; the zoo nutritionist works closely with the Animal Supplies Department who source, manage and distribute food daily to the keepers.

Each animal diet is reviewed regularly to ensure nutritional support is provided for all stages of life; egg-laying or gestation, lactation, early postnatal growth through to adulthood and eventually, old age.  Specific nutrients are required, not necessary specific foods – although the physical form of food, dietary diversity and food presentation may be important in promoting normal feeding behaviour and physiology.

The keepers are closely involved in any suggested adjustments, since as the animals’ guardians, they are usually the first to record any health changes.  We share our dietary information with other zoos to assist them in their animal welfare, as well as learning about new species as they arrive in the collection at Chester Zoo.

Information on the feeding ecology of selected species at Chester Zoo can be found in our Animals section of the website. For zoo animal nutrition information, visit the EAZA Nutrition Group who maintain a resource page of recommended reading, useful weblinks and conference publications, with many of the latter freely available to download.

Food Facts about Chester Zoo

Did you know that every year:

- Our animals eat over 400 tonnes of fruit and vegetables. That beats your recommended five a day!
- Animals such as our tamarins, frogs, and lizards eat over a million locusts and crickets
- Our flamingos would be a little off colour if they didn’t eat their special diet – it makes them pink!
- Depending on the size of each meal, an adult python snake may only eat two or three times a year