Hyderabad Zoo - Where tigers call home

Maintenance

Zoo Maintenance

Golden Pheasant, © T. Puppala

We constantly strive to improve the gardens, lawns, and groves while maintaining the aesthetic appeal of the zoo and simulating the indigenous natural habitats of the animals. During the special events, our zoo volunteers plant thousands of plant saplings that provide fruit as well as shade. The Forest Department of the Government of Andhra Pradesh manages the zoo and provides grants to cover the organizational and maintenance related expenses.

Animal Nutrition

Yellow baboon, © A. Jaleel

We obtain the food for our vast range of animals, birds, and fish from local food suppliers and from our own fodder plantations. We rely on farm manure and do not use chemical fertilizers and insecticides to grow the fodder. In addition to including essential vitamins and minerals in the regular diets of our animals, we prepare customized meals for nursing mothers, babies, and sick animals. Our experienced veterinarians thoroughly check the food supply and disinfect the perishable items before weighing and distributing the portions. The charts below indicate the feed items that we provide to the animals each day.

Feed items provided daily for the animals:

1.	Raw Beef for all Carnivores	276 kg
2.	Chicken to Young and Nursing Carnivores	16.5 kg
3.	Boiled Eggs Primates, Carnivores and Omnivores	97 nos.
4.	Raw Eggs to Breeding Carnivores Males	9 nos.
5.	Day Old Chicks Issued to Carnivores Birds	40 nos.
6.	Dead Fish for Storks and Crocodiles	47 kg
7.	Live Fish for Gharial and Otters	10 kg
8.	Meal Worms for Pheasants	6 kg

Variety of fruits and vegetables for all primates, birds, and herbivores:

1.	Bananas	50.5 kg
2.	Sweet Limes	12.500 kg
3.	Apples	14.500 kg
4.	Guava	6.5 kg
5.	Grapes	6.5 kg
6.	Carrots	25.0 kg
7.	Sweet Potatoes	16.0 kg
8.	Cabbage	3.5 kg
9.	Potatoes	2.000 kg
10	Tomatoes	7.500 kg
11	Lettuce or Palak	7.500 kg
12	Ripe Red chilies	250 g
13	Coconuts	3 nos.
14	Water melons	3 nos.
15	Milk	27 l
16	Bread	13.6 kg
17	Cheese	30 g
18	Mixed Fruit Jam	40 g

Variety of grass for herbivores:

1.	Tunga/Sugar Cane	800 kg
2.	Para Grass	1600 kg
3.	Green Kadvi	460 kg
4.	Napier Grass	150 kg
5.	Lucerne	50 kg
6.	Ragishaw for Elephants	9 kg
7.	Panicum	10 kg
8.	CO1 Grass	50 kg
9.	Green Leaves of Peepal and Bud	50 kg
10.	Oats	110 kg
11.	Coconut Leaves	10 leaves
12.	Babul Pods Branches and Bamboo Clumps	ad libidum

Feed items for reptiles:

1.	Frogs	100 nos.
2.	Rats	10 nos.
3.	Garden Lizards	20 nos.
4.	Water Snakes	2 nos. weekly

Grains for seed eating birds:

1.	Jawar	30.0 kg
2.	Rala	3.0 kg
3.	Chana (primates and birds)	12.0 kg
4.	Paddy	2.0 kg
5.	Sunflower Seeds	3.5 kg
6.	Sawflower Seeds	0.5 kg
7.	Moong	1.5 kg
8.	D. P. Chana	1.5 kg
9.	Honey	0.1 kg

Pre-mixed feed for herbivores and birds:

1.	Duck Mixture	14.5 kg
2.	Matara Mixture	3.0 kg
3.	Munia Mixture	1.0 kg
4.	Flamingo Mixture	0.7 kg
5.	Crane Mixtuer	2.0 kg
6.	Emu Mixture	2.0 kg
7.	Cattle Feed	210.0 kg
8.	Poultry Layer Mash	8.0 kg
9.	Jaggery	9.5 kg
10.	Salt	1.0 kg

Zoo Fodder Plot

In 1964, our zoo began growing our own fodder on an area of seven acres within our premises. By doing so, we prevented food borne diseases and observed a general improvement in the health of our animals. Since 2001, we have leased the task of fodder maintenance and supply to a contractor. Below is a list of products generated from the fodder plantation:

1.	Para Grass	2,46,805 kg
2.	Napier (NB21)	41,812 kg
3.	Lucerne	12,534 kg
4.	Peepal Leaves	1,854 kg
5.	Coconuts	267 kg
6.	Green Kadvi	24,833 kg