Post by Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden

The OKC Zoo's Animal Nutritionist, Dr. Taylor Novak, recently spoke with Mazuri on animal diets, feeding decisions, and how she approaches zoo animal nutrition. Top-tier caretaking starts with research, and Dr. Taylor has to take multiple factors into consideration when creating animal diets, such as age, health conditions, reproductive status, and even allergies! “Yes, animals can have allergies!" said Dr. Taylor. "We have a big cat who's allergic to chickens. While everybody else has a chicken day, she gets to stick with rabbits." Dr. Tayor doesn't just focus on the diets themselves. She also forms her nutrition plans around our animal's natural behaviors in the form of enrichment, giving each species she cares for the opportunity to eat the way they would in the wild. She takes the time to communicate with the caretaking teams, using their feedback to form various diets. This can include feeding puzzles, the use of rotating toys, and creating foraging opportunities that mimic natural hunting or gathering behaviors. This advice can even be applied to your pets at home, helping to advance their care and create new opportunities for them to explore. "Do your research. Make sure you can provide [your pet with] a diet and home that meets all their needs," Dr. Taylor shared. "Being your pet expert and your pet's advocate is really important." To read more about Dr. Taylor's vision behind zoo animal nutrition and how you can apply the same approach at home, visit Mazuri's article at https://bit.ly/4420Q5Q