Until now, lioness Tasa and her cubs were served a portion of meat every day at Antwerp Zoo. In the indoor enclosure and each for himself, so that the caretakers knew that each animal had enough. From now on they eat in groups and are fed whole carcasses of rabbits, chickens and goats.
Animal dietitian at the Antwerp Zoo, Roxanna van Riemsdijk, is satisfied with this evolution. “We have been working on this for two years,” she says. “Not that there was anything wrong with the way the lions were fed, but we want even better. And that can be done this way. Lions are social hunters: in nature they can go for days without eating. When the opportunity arises, they hunt in groups for large prey that they enjoy for days. This approach challenges them to function as a group and provides a mental challenge. Furthermore, the group activity also strengthens the social relationships and hierarchy within the lion pride.” (Read more below the photo)
The new menu “provides a mental challenge” for the lions. — © Antwerp ZOO/Jonas Verhulst
Horrible
But the new ‘lion menu’ also has another side. Tasa and her cubs are now eating in the lion enclosure, where everyone can see. The carcasses of chickens, goats and rabbits will be hung three times a week. And so there is a chance that your children will see how the lions tear apart a dead goat or rabbit before their eyes. Horrible, that’s for sure. But pedagogues see no problem with it – provided some explanation is given. “A child could be shocked by that,” says pedagogue and education expert Pedro De Bruyckere. “It can be very horrifying, especially if they don’t know that it happens this way in nature.” (Read more below the photo)
Pedagogue and education expert Pedro De Bruyckere. — © ID/ Lieven Van Assche
But with the right preparation and support, he sees few problems. “Children are used to seeing gruesome images,” says the educator. “And they can deal with that quite well. You just have to provide sufficient context and explanation for everything. Explain that lions are predators and look for prey. And that is the job of parents and teaching staff, but also of the zoo itself.”
“Children are used to seeing gruesome images. And they can handle that quite well. You just have to provide sufficient context and explanation for everything.”
Pedro De Bruyckere
A teacher
And that’s what they plan to do at the Zoo. “The lions will get their food in the morning, before the Zoo opens. We don’t know when they’ll be hungry and eat it, but people who don’t want to see it don’t have to see it. And for those who are there, context will be provided: both on signs at the lion’s enclosure and on our digital platform,” says spokesperson Ilse Segers. The Zoo mainly wants to stay as close to nature as possible. “Lions hunt for prey. And this is much healthier: by also eating hair and beaks, they get other vitamins and minerals.” (Read more below the photo)
“By also eating, say, hair and beaks, the lions get other vitamins and minerals,” it says. — © Antwerp ZOO/Jonas Verhulst
Reverse
It may not be nice to see, but it also has a downside. “There is nothing more beautiful than seeing those lions working together and sharing their food. After a week, most of our visitors are extremely positive,” says animal dietitian Roxanna van Riemsdijk, who also points out the importance of showing children how nature works. “It’s just like a child needs to know that milk comes from a cow, and is not something that is made in a factory and put into a bottle or a brig.”
“This approach challenges the lions to function as a group and provides a mental challenge. Furthermore, group activities also strengthen social relationships and hierarchy within the lion pride.”
Roxanna van Riemsdijk
Animal nutritionist
“Children can make quite an abstraction between life and death,” says educationalist Philippe Noens. “If they see this, they won’t get anything out of it. We should not underestimate them. For him, a zoo visit is more about how animals live in captivity, rather than what they eat there. And if there is a good reason to give them a carcass instead of a piece of meat, then it is important to make it an interesting educational moment for the children present. Both from the zoo and from the teachers. A visit to the zoo is more than a tame school trip. It is a great opportunity to learn about wildlife.”