MYSURU: Carnivores are the most active and ferocious creatures, but at the Mysuru zoo, they have turned lazy and inactive because of the recent change in their diet to only chicken.All zoos under the Karnataka Zoo Authority (KZA), including the famous Mysuru zoo, switched to chicken by January-end as the State Government had pushed beef ban through an ordinance. Karnataka has the highest number of zoos in the country and the Mysuru zoo has a host of carnivores, including exotic cats like cheetahs, white tigers, jaguars along with over a dozen Royal Bengal tigers, two dozen leopards as well as wolves and foxes.
Before switching over chicken, the zoo used to procure 350 kg of beef a day to feed the carnivores. Now with the diet switch, the animals have become less active and tend to relax for more hours than the usual long hours that carnivores, especially big cats, rest for, zoo sources said. The authorities tried mutton as an alternative, but as the carnivores refused to eat even small quantities, they had to opt for farm chicken.
Under the new anti-cow slaughter law, buffalo meat is allowed, but it is not available in large enough quantities. Since the cost of country chicken is on the higher side, the zoos are dependent on farm poultry.
The authorities said that except for birds like vultures all other carnivores have shown reduced activity. “To an extent, leopards are not that inactive. But even foxes and hyenas, which move about more than big cats, are showing lesser activity,” said the sources.
When beef was on the menu, big cats would leave 3 kg of bones from an average of 14 kg fed to them, but when 8 kg of chicken is being given, they are leaving behind 2 kg of bones. The zoo staff is worried about the effects of prolonged diet of chicken on carnivores.KZA Member Secretary B P Ravi said that they are waiting for an exemption from the government to supply beef to zoos.Animal Husbandry Minister Prabhu Chauhan said they have not received complaints on scarcity of food at zoos. He said they will take action if authorities give details.