July 5, 2008
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The repercussions of the rising cost of gasoline is that social services are feeling the pinch along with everyone else.
Meals on Wheels and police departments. What do these have in common? Both have to contend with the rising cost of fuel in relation to existing budgets. We have seen the cost of groceries increase because it takes fuel to run tractors and plows, and to operate trains and truck to distribute the goods to various processing plants and distribution points. Even the packaging of products may include a petroleum based containers and wrappers.
FOOD COSTS HAVE GONE UP FOR THE ZOO’S 400 SPECIES
Becky Tanner, The Wichita Eagle
If you think it’s hard trying to feed your brood all the necessary daily food groups while living on a strict budget, try coping with these 2,000 hungry mouths to feed. From cockroaches and smelt to mealworms and cow’s blood, meal variety is everything at the Sedgwick County Zoo. Each day, zoo officials must take into consideration the likes and dislikes of 400 species of animals, all of them hungry.
And all of them expecting to be fed on time.
“Each year we negotiate our food budget with our vendors,” said Christan Baumer, a spokeswoman for the zoo. “Because we can guarantee our vendors volume sales, they guarantee us set prices. We don’t see rising costs from month to month. But we do see a 3 to 5 percent increase per year.”
It was a lot more than that from last year to this year — 12 percent. Next year’s may be even more. Here’s why:
Grain prices are expected to increase because of fuel costs. Produce costs can be affected by weather, Baumer said. If cold weather hits the citrus crop one year, for example, the zoo could see produce prices jump the next year.
There’s currently a mealworm shortage across the nation because of colder temperatures during the mealworm reproductive cycle and a greater demand for them as private owners acquire exotic pets.
The cost of fuel has affected the price of frozen mice, crickets and earthworms.
And, Baumer said, although the zoo is partially financed by Sedgwick County, less than half of its operating budget is covered by the county.
“The rest has to come from other revenue sources, such as memberships, sno-cones and the rubber snakes in our gift shop or corporate sponsorships and fundraisers like Zoobilee. Each year, we rely on these revenue sources to make up the total operating budget.”
So what can visitors expect in 2009?
Tigers.
The zoo is opening the Slawson Family Tiger Trek in the spring.
“That means more zoo for visitors to enjoy and new ways to learn more about some of the endangered animals in our care,” Baumer said.
But it also means more mouths to feed and more staff to care for those animals.
“We do our best to keep from raising membership prices and gate admission,” she said, noting that when the Cessna Penguin Cove opened, gate admission didn’t change.
So, will ticket prices remain the same in 2009?
“We certainly hope so, but only time will tell,” she said.
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Here’s a breakdown of what zoo animals consume in a week and in a year.
Apples, 1,808/ 94,016
Bananas, 640 lbs./ 32,280 lbs.
Carrots, 800 lbs./ 41,600 lbs.
Celery, 144 bunches/ 7,488 bunches
Grapes,88 lbs./4,576 lbs.
Iceberg lettuce,432 heads/ 22,464 heads
Romaine lettuce,336 heads/ 17,472 heads
Cantaloupe, 72/ 3,744
Oranges,1,656/ 3,744
Sweet potatoes,720 lbs./ 37,440 lbs.
Frozen fish, in a week and in a year:
Capelin,192 lbs./ 10,000 lbs.
Smelt,158 lbs./ 8,250 lbs.
Herring,223 lbs./ 11,600 lbs.
Large trout,48 lbs./ 2,500 lbs.
Small trout,182 lbs./ 9,500 lbs.
The zoo cares for nearly 400 rare and endangered species. Here are a selected few and what they eat:
African Lions (per day)
Majola, the male, gets 10 lbs. of Carnivore Diet, a ground meat formulated for exotic cats. Nemesis, the female, gets 7 lbs. of Carnivore Diet. The lions also eat large bones twice a week, when they’re on exhibit.
Grizzly Bears (per day)
The male eats 20 lbs. of Omnivore Chow, a meat and vegetable mix. The female eats 10 lbs. of Omnivore Chow. Each bear eats one frozen trout per week, fed to them in their pool. They also receive 2 lbs. of produce daily, along with nuts and dried fruits and some honey and peanut butter.
North American River Otters (per day)
The otters receive two meatballs a day. Their meatballs include ¾ lb. of ground meat with extra fat for a healthy coat and a ¼ cup of Omnivore Chow soaked.
On the side, the otters will receive live perch or crawdads. and ¾ of a thawed trout used for training and enrichment when they are swimming in their pool.
Penguins (per day)
25 lbs. of fish, for the colony.
Gorillas (per day)
Their diet is 10 percent fruit, 40 percent vegetables, 28 percent green leaf lettuces, 20 percent gorilla biscuits and 2 percent life enrichment treats.
In a day, the 8 male gorillas will eat 8 apples, 8 oranges, 8 bananas, 8 heads of romaine lettuce, 8 heads of iceberg lettuce, 10 sweet potatoes, 4 white potatoes, 30 carrots and 25 lbs. of Leaf Eater Primate chow biscuits.
Two of the gorillas, Billy and Tommy, don’t like corn on the cob.
500 Frogs (per week)
8,000 adult crickets, 4,000 2-week-old crickets, 750 wax worms.
Aldabra Tortoise( per week)
Each tortoise gets two produce salads a week.
A salad will include a head of romaine, half a head of endive, half a bunch of collard greens, banana peels, half a carrot and pieces of fruit, tortoise chow and vitamin supplements.
Timor Pythons (bimonthly)
Two medium-size rats every other week.
Elephants(per day)
The two female elephants eat 170 lbs. of food. The majority of their diet is prairie hay. They will consume four bales in a 24-hour period.
In addition, Stephanie receives two apples, two oranges, two carrots, two bananas, two potatoes and two sweet potatoes.
Cinda receives four of all the fruits because she is a larger animal. For enrichment, the elephants also receive any limbs from trees trimmed around the zoo that are nontoxic to them such as mulberry, elm and cottonwood. They also receive watermelons and pumpkins when in season.
Giraffes(per day)
The five giraffes each get 12 lbs. of grain and 8 lbs. each of alfalfa.
Rhinos
Receive between 10 and 12 lbs. of grain, the same amounts of alfalfa and a few apples, carrots and sweet potatoes.
Hippos(per day)
Sweetie Pie and Pudgy receive two lbs. of grain and split a bale of hay between them.
Meerkats
Receive small amounts of processed meat, hard-boiled eggs, vegetables and fruits such as grapes, apples, bananas and mealworms.
