Here at the Sanctuary, every Thursday is bone day! Tigers and lion can eat between 10 and 25 pounds per day while in captivity. This is between 4 and 7% of their body weight. However, we determine the amount of meat they are fed each day based of 2% of their body mass combined with, age, and activity level. The more active an animal is or the more energy they expend to retain their metabolic rate and they younger the animal the more meat they will need to maintain their body size.
Therefore, the younger and more active an animal is the more they eat.
 |
| Nala pampers her bone, loving it until the end. |
 |
| This is Odin, our lion playing with his bone. He normally leaves it in pieces on his favorite places to lay, his perches. |
In any given week the a resident feline at IEAS eat about 60 pounds of meat on average. In the wild, after consuming a large meal and because of the scarcity in prey resources they will go through a fasting period while they wait to find and successfully obtain their next food source. Hence, how bone day was created. The goal is to mimic the natural fasting periods of wild lions and tigers. The bones come pre- packaged from a Triple A Brand in Colorado. They contain small amounts of meat and are filled with marrow, their favorite!
 |
| Akbar is savoring his bone before running around his habitat to find the perfect home for his new gem. |
Bones also serve as behavioral enrichment for our residents for they love playing with them. They can be found hiding their most valued possession in their houses, destroying all of the evidence or taking it for a swim. They have unlimited amounts of fun with their bones, and are still able to instill some of their natural instincts.
 |
| And the most exciting news!!!! Julia, one of our youngest residents received her first bone last week. She looks to be loving it. |
No comments:
Post a Comment