Effect of concentrates restriction on feed consumption, diet digestibility, and nitrogen utilization in captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)

Utilization of macro-nutrients and minerals in captive greater one-horned rhinoceros fed season-specific diets

This experiment was conducted to study nutrient and mineral utilization in greater one-horned rhinoceros fed season-specific diets. Nine adult greater one-horned rhinoceros (774-2407 kg BW) of Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, Patna, Bihar, India, were used in this experiment. Three digestion trials of 60-d duration were conducted per animal, out of which 55 days was adaptation period and 5 days was collection period. The amount of concentrate was kept constant during all the trials. Green fodder sources were sugarcane, berseem (Trifolium alexndrinum) and chari (Sorghum bicolor) during trials I, II and III respectively. Green fodders were offered 20% in excess of previous day's intake in the afternoon. Apparent digestibility of dry matter and crude fibre was higher (p < .01) in group II as compared to other groups. Apparent digestibility of crude protein was lowest (p < .01) in group I, followed by group III, and the highest value was observed in group II. Apparent digestibility of Ca and P was lower in greater one-horned rhinoceros fed sugarcane and sorghum as green fodder source. In spite of this, sugarcane and sorghum-based diets were able to meet the requirement of Ca, P, Fe and Mn. Berseem supplied Ca in excess of requirement. All the diets were deficient in Zn. Hence, a suitable supplement of Zn should be added to the conventional zoo diet of greater one-horned rhinoceros.

Feeding Asian pangolins: An assessment of current diets fed in institutions worldwide

Pangolins are ant specialists which are under intense threat from the illegal wildlife trade. Nutrition has notoriously been their downfall in captivity and is still an issue in regards to rescue and rehabilitation. We analyzed the nutrient content of diets used by institutions that are successfully keeping Asian pangolins and to assess the variety of the ingredients and nutrients, compared these with the nutritional requirements of potential nutritional model species. We performed intake studies at five institutions and also had data from three other institutions. We also analyzed five different wild food items to use as a proxy of wild diet. We observed two categories of captive diets: those mostly or completely composed of insects and those high in commercial feeds or animal meat. Nutrient values were broad and there was no clear rule. The non-protein energy to protein energy ratio of the diets were much higher than the wild food items, more so for those which receive less insects. The average contribution of carbohydrate, fat and protein energy were also further away from the wild samples the less insects they contained. The previously suggested nutritional model for pangolins is the domestic dog which is supported by our relatively large nutrient ranges of apparently successful diets, however due to their highly carnivorous nature; the upper most nutrient intake data are not consistent with this and favor the feline nutrient recommendations. We are unable to render a conclusion of what model is more appropriate based on our data collected.