The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-10-02
A MENAGERIE KITCHEN,
What the Inmates of the Philadel-
phia Geological Garden Eat.
Interesting Facts About the Appetites Of
Wild Anlmals-Horse-Fl Flesh the Prin-
cipal Article Ct Diet-How the Vari.
Gus Species of Reptiles Are Kept

1--WE feed our animals almost entirely
upon horse-flesh," said ex-Keeper Dick
inson, now butcher at the 800. ~
'Some of the horses are presented to us,
but most of them are bought at rates
varying from about 50 to s6. There is
a mistaken idea that the greater part OF
the animals we kill are broken-down
street-car horses; we get them from
nearly all walks of horse life. Many OF
them are fat when they come to us.
There are people who have been the
possessor of horses for a dozen or q
score of years, and who, when it becomes
necessary to part with them. prefer let
ting us take the animal rather than to
see them go toaWork in places where
they might not ~ gently treated in their
old age.
I'VE kill on an average about three
horses a week. Some come from points
ten or twelve miles from the CITY. A
large number of them are 'knuckled,
the joint above the hoof having been
strained. Occasionally we find oppcr-
tunities to buy beef that is garlicky, but
horse meat is more relished than beef by
our animals. 1t is juicer. 1 think that
iB winter there is little difference be-
tween the taste of horse-flesh and that
of beef, except that the former is lit
tie sweeter. Our carnivOra eat more in
winter than in summer.
among our animals that eat the
horse meat are the lions. tigers, pumas,
leOpards. jaguars, hyenas, ascelot.
wolves, foxes, badgers, skunks, eagles,
owls. vultures and condor. About once
a month we give some of the meat to
the bears. They would eat it oftener,
but there is too much strength in it for
animals in captivity. About two hun
7dred and twenty-five pounds of meat are
naten every day by the animals in the
garden during the summer. In winter
that quantity is exceeded.
None of our carnivOrOus animals
are fed more th;.l once day, the time
being $50 O'Clock. They would prob
ably like to eat oftener, but by our present
system we keep their appetites in good
condition, and as far rs possible prevent
disease. Afull-grown lion or tiger eats
sANAi w pOuuuS q uoNs
The best of the meat is given to the lions,
tigers. leopards. pumas. jaguars, ETC..
and the inferior qualities to the wolves,
hyenas. dingos, eagles, etc. From three
TO six pounds q day are eaten by leop-
ard. jaguar or puma. The fifteen ami
mails in the lion and tiger house con-
sumo from one hundred to one hundred
and twenty-five pounds a day. The
food given to the hyenas is mainly bone.
They grind the bones to powder and
swallow all of it. The meat given them
is generally the skin and other tough
parts.
Little or none of the dressed morse
goes to waste. In preparing food for
birds, for instance, we chop the rib
bones and meat all up together. The
ground bone answers the purpose of
gravel in the birds stomach. Soft bones
ground up are given to the quadrupeds
Whenever such food is necessary to put
their stomachs in good condition. In
their wild state many of these animals
howl and howl all night. In captivity
they generally sleep Ill night, because