Eaters of the Dead

Every once in a while, I'll see some version of the same article floating around on social media.  Most recently, it was from Reddit.  The article purports to have the "inside dirt" on what working at a zoo is like, filled in with gossip from people who may or may not have ever been keepers.  It's always with a slight cringe that I check on these.

Sometimes, I'm pleasantly surprised to find that, beneath a click-bait title, there is actually a well-written article from vetted sources that actually does have useful, true information.  These articles can actually help disseminate popular misconceptions about what goes on behind-the-scenes at the zoo.  To get people to read it, you usually have to put up a title that makes them think they're getting some secret gossip, but apart from that they are good articles.  Other times, it's a poorly-written mishmash of stories that all begin with "I used to date this guy who's brother used to work at the zoo, and he told me..."

Skimming through the latest version, I saw the usually mix of things that are either a) not really secrets, b) a bit out of context, or c) not correct.  Of the later, one stood out to me which I wanted to correct.

In all of my years at American zoos, I have very rarely seen zoo animals fed to other animals.  In my years working at AZA accredited zoos, this has happened almost zero times that I have seen, the exception being Madagascar hissing cockroaches culled from a colony and fed as treats to other animals.  In my non-AZA days, the zoo bred rabbits and chickens, some of which may have found their way to pythons or servals, and a deer or goat that died and seemed healthy enough may have become tiger meat.  But for the most part, and especially at accredited zoos, no one is hacking up zebras for lion chow.

There are two reasons for this.  One, most of our animals are under medical management. often pretty intense, towards the end of their lives, and their systems are usually full of all sorts of medications that are there to help them feel more comfortable and healthy.  Those meds are not something necessarily that you want to pass up the zoo food chain.  Secondly, even if an otherwise healthy animal dies a sudden, completely explicable death - let's say it happens to break its neck - the vets are still going to do a necropsy to figure out if there is anything that they missed of importance with potential health implications for the other animals.  The recently deceased animal is seen as a learning opportunity, not as a chance to shave a few bucks off the grocery bill.

I do totally support carcass feeding for carnivores as a method of enrichment, but with animals that are bred for the purpose and that we know are healthy and safe.  And yes, I know that in some countries collection animals are fed out (Marius the Copenhagen giraffe gets brought up... a lot).  But I want to let my US readers know, this isn't really how things work at, say, the San Diego Zoo or the Bronx Zoo.  Otherwise, most zoos would have a lot more vultures on display.