COVID-19 spread changes dietary patterns of big cats kept in zoos

Instead of the raw meat provided to the large carnivores such as lion, tiger and leopard in zoos, they are now being fed with sterilised meat.

pandemic has forced the zoo keepers to change the dietary practices of big cats kept in captivity. Instead of the raw meat provided to the large carnivores such as lion, tiger and leopard in zoos, they are now being fed with sterilised meat. Beef provided to these animals are now sterilised by dipping it in hot water at a temperature of 65 degree Celsius for 10 minutes. The move comes as part of the guidelines issued by the Central Zoo Authority in the wake of the increasing increasing number of pandemic cases, said T. V. Anilkumar, superintend of the Thiruvananthapruam Zoo. The zoo in the State capital houses a pair of lion and seven leopards and tigers. The other one in Thrissur, the second such facility in the State, has one tiger, three leopards and four tigers.