Diets are now especially important with the conservation work of zoos and the need to maintain large breeding populations of endangered species. Wild animals live in complex and changing situations and often use a wider variety of foods. The needs of an animal will change according to its age, the season of the year, and its activity, for example when rearing young.  

Information about diet selection in the wild and its relevance to captive management is available in a growing number of reports about individual species. Check out the Specialty Feeds and Mazuri websites which manufactures diets for a wide range of animals, including zoos species.  This dietary information can be utilised when considering the design of an enclosure and for animal management activities within the enclosure as well as reintroduction of a species into a group.

Now do you fancy trying something a little bit harder

Can you match the animal to the correct zoo diet?