Summary:
1. Baby food is incredibly versatile and can be used in a zoo setting for various purposes.
2. Different animals have different dietary needs and preferences.
3. Lemurs, in particular, enjoy a treat made from baby food flavors.
4. You can help support the animals by donating baby food through their Amazon wishlist.
Baby food is a staple in many households, but did you know it has many uses beyond feeding human babies? 🍼 It turns out that baby food can also be a valuable asset in the animal kingdom! Zoos worldwide have discovered this humble product’s versatility and are using it to enhance the lives of their animal residents.
One of the primary reasons baby food is so popular in zoos is its versatility. The smooth texture and wide variety of flavors make it an ideal choice for many purposes. At our zoo, we have found inventive ways to incorporate it into the daily lives of our animals.
We squeeze baby food into tiny paper straws for our smallest residents, such as baby monkeys and birds. This allows them to easily consume the nutritious puree while mimicking their natural feeding behaviors. It’s a win-win situation, as they get the nutrients they need, and we can monitor their intake.
In addition to infant animals, we also use baby food to administer medications, especially to our pickier eaters. Lemurs can be notoriously picky when taking their medicine, so we mix it with a complementary baby food flavor to mask unpleasant tastes. This ensures that they receive the necessary medication and makes the experience more enjoyable for them.
The versatility of baby food extends further than just feeding and medication. We recently discovered a new and exciting way to use baby food in creating treats for our larger animals. We froze baby food onto paper plates and offered them to our creatures with an affinity for licking. The sweet, lickable treats proved to be a hit, providing our animals with a novel and interactive enrichment experience.
When choosing the right baby food flavors, we have to be mindful of each species’ specific dietary needs and preferences. For example, certain animals, like sifakas and blue-eyed black lemurs, cannot tolerate fruits due to their sensitive digestive systems. We rely on vegetable-based baby food flavors to meet their nutritional requirements in these cases.
On the other hand, some animals have particular tastes. Take our ring-tailed lemurs, for instance. We offered them sweet potato plates, expecting them to devour the treat eagerly. However, much to our surprise, they turned their noses up at the flavor. On the contrary, Pompeia, Cornelia, Clancy, Maddie, and Duggan could not get enough of the sweet potato delight. It shows that animals, like humans, have their taste preferences.
You can participate in our mission if you feel inspired to help provide delicious snacks for our furry friends! By visiting our Amazon wishlist at lemur.duke.edu/wishlist, you can contribute a pack of baby food to assist us in creating treats for our diverse group of lemurs. Whether your favorite lemur favors a fruity or veggie flavor, rest assured they will appreciate your kindness and enjoy the tasty treat you provide.
In conclusion, baby food has proven to be an invaluable resource in zookeeping. Its versatility, wide range of flavors, and ability to cater to specific dietary needs make it a perfect choice for enriching the lives of our animal residents. So, the next time you’re shopping for baby food, remember that it can be much more than just a meal for our littlest ones. It can bring joy and nourishment to the animal kingdom as well! 🍠🍼
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Source Description
Baby food isn’t just for humans! 🍠🍼
Baby food is one of the most versatile items in our pantry. We can squeeze it into tiny paper straws for our littlest residents, mix it with medication to help hide the taste from picky lemurs, or freeze it onto paper plates like we did yesterday to make sweet, lickable treats for our larger animals! 😋
We always stock our kitchen with various flavors in both fruit and veggie varieties. Certain species, like sifakas and blue-eyed black lemurs, can’t have fruit, so veggie flavors are essential. Other animals have specific tastes; we offered sweet potato plates to our ring-tailed lemurs, but they weren’t a fan of the flavor—unlike Pompeia, Cornelia, Clancy, Maddie, and Duggan, who licked up every last drop! ☺️
Want to help provide delicious snacks to our furry friends? You can visit our Amazon wishlist at lemur.duke.edu/wishlist and send over a pack of baby food to help us make treats for all of our lemurs, no matter how picky they might be! If you have a favorite lemur/species, let us know in the comments, and we can tell you if they have a flavor of choice 🥰
🎥: Abby Flyer
