The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-09-02
FEEDING THE ANIMALS.
Che Bill of Fare for the Curiositles of ths
NFnnagerie.


We feed our animals almost entirely
upon horse hesh," said ex-Keeper Dickin-
son, now butcher at the Zoo" Some
of the horses are presented to us, but most
of them are bought at rates varying from
about SO to SO. There is q 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 tho possess
sors of horses for o dozen or a score of
years, and who, when it becomes necessary
to part with them, prefer letting us fake the
animal rather than see them go to work in
places where they might not be gently treat
ed in their old age.
I'VE kill, on an average, about three
horses week. Some come from points ten
or twelve miles from the city. A large num-
Der of them are knuckled, the joint above
the hoof having been strained Occasion
is garlicky, but horse meat is more reished
than beef by our wild animals. 1t is jucier.
think that in winter there is little differ
ence between the taste of horse flesh and
that of beef except that the former is little
sweeter. Our carnivora eat more in winter
than summer.
Among our animals that eat the horse
meat are the lions, tigers, pumas, leopards,
jaguar, hyenas, ascelot wolves, foxes, bad
gers, skunks, eagles, owls, vultures and
condor. About once month we give some
of the meat to the bears. They would eat
il oftener, but there is too much strength in
it for animals in captivity, About two hun
dred and twenty-five pounds of meat are
eaten every day by the animals in the gar
den during the summer. In winter thai
quantity is exceeded.
None of our carnivorous animals are
fed more than once a day, the time being
half-past three o'clock. They would prob
ably like to eat oftener, but by our present
system we keep their appetites in good con-
dition, and as far as possible prevent dis
ease. A full grown lion or tiger eats from
twelve to fifteen pounds day. The best
of the meat is given TO the lions, tigers,
pumas, jaguar, &C., and the inferior quail
ties to the wolves, hyenas, dingos, eagles
&c. From three to six pounds a day are
eaten by leopard, jaguar or puma. The
fifteen animals in the lion and tiger house
consume from one hundred TO one hundred
aud twenty-five pounds q day. The food
given to the hyenas is mainly bone. They
grind the bones to powder and swallow all
of it. The meat given to them is generally
.he shin and other tough parts.
Little or mono of the dressed horse goes
20 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 quad.
rupeds 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 gen.
orally sleep all night, because their hunger
is readily appeasing. In a state of nature
they are sometimes obliged to go ten days
without food, and when they get it they
gorge themselves.
/" Ali our animals of the cat kind eat just
as O cat does, lying on their breast and
holding the meat between their paws. The
| young male lion eats very slowly, but the
| female finishes her meal in about fifteen
minutes, of which time about five minutes
are spent ON the bone. The lions leave the
bones almost as clean as If the meat had
been boiled and peeled of. do not believe
that If one Of these lions got into the streets
hs would think of attacking anybody unless
struck or run against. I think he would be
frightened. II they were not well cared for
and fed the case would be different.