Help Feed Denver Zoo's Animals

With 3,800 mouths (and beaks) to feed, it takes more than $700,000 a year and a professional dedicated team of experts to ensure the best nutrition for each of our more than 600 species. Denver Zoo works with an animal nutritionist to design specific diets for each individual species and in some cases individual animals. Our commissary orders the highest-quality fruits, vegetables, meat, seafood and supplements and prepares the food for each animal. Our dedicated zookeepers make final preparations to each meal and monitor each animal to ensure they are getting the nutrition they need.

	FEED A LION: Denver Zoo is home to six adult South African lions. One Denver Zoo lion consumes roughly 10 pounds of raw beef every day!  The cats dine on premium beef that is made specifically for large exotic felines, infused with all of the vitamins and minerals the lions would naturally consume in the wild.                 Feed a lion for a day: $ 12.00 Feed a lion for a week: $ 85.00 Feed a lion for a month: $ 325.00 Feed a lion for a year: $ 4,250.00
	FEED AN ELEPHANT: Mimi and Dolly, Denver Zoo’s resident female Asian elephants eat nearly 150 pounds of food everyday! Although their diet is supplemented with produce and grain, the girls primarily feed on grass hay, consuming more than an entire bale of hay each per day. Feed Mimi or Dolly hay for a day: $ 9.00 Feed Mimi or Dolly hay for a week: $ 63.00 Feed Mimi or Dolly hay for a month: $ 252.00 Feed Mimi or Dolly hay for a year: $ 6,050.00
	FEED THE PENGIUNS: Denver Zoo’s Humboldt and African penguin flocks are fed three different kinds of fish. Each week our penguin flocks eat 105 pounds of capelin, 75 pounds of herring and 100 pounds of mackerel. The penguins are fed capelin each morning. Since capelin is one of their favorite fish, zookeepers are able to hide their vitamins or medication inside! In the afternoons our penguins get the higher fat content they need from fish like mackerel or herring.  Feed our penguins capelin for a day = $ 8.25 Feed our penguins herring for a week = $ 40.00 Feed our penguins mackerel for a month = $ 260.00 Feed our  penguins fish for a year = $ 8,619.00
	FEED THE POLAR BEARS: Denver Zoo’s three polar bears all get different amounts of food, based on their sizes. Our females, Soosha and Voda don’t need quite as much to eat as our male, Frosty. All three receive fresh herring, biscuits and red meat! Feed Frosty for a day = $ 12.00 Feed Frosty for a week = $ 84.00 Feed Frosty for a month = $ 335.00 Feed Frosty for a year = $ 4,380.00
	FEED THE CAIMAN LIZARDS: Reptile keepers at Denver Zoo currently care for three Caiman lizards.  This South American reptile has incredibly powerful jaws and a taste for escargot!  In order to mimic the natural fare these unmistakable lizards prefer fresh apple snails.  Depending on snail size each lizard receives 4-7 snails twice per week.  Fine dining by any standard… Feed all three caiman lizards for a day = $ 6.00 Feed all three caiman lizards for a week = $ 12.00 Feed all three caiman lizards for a month = $ 48.00 Feed all three caiman lizards for a year = $ 624.00
	FEED THE AYE-AYE: Denver Zoo is one of only two U.S. AZA accredited zoos that have successfully bred this endangered nocturnal primate found only on the island of Madagascar.  Aye-aye love to eat insects and nuts, but they also have a serious sweet-tooth.  In addition to a very specialized diet the aye-aye receive sugar cane one day each week.  Feed the aye-aye sugar cane for a week = $ 13.00 Feed the aye-aye sugar cane for a month = $ 52.00 Feed the aye-aye sugar cane for a year = $ 624.00
	FEED THE CUTTLEFISH: Cuttlefish are not actually fish, but cephalopods, the same marine class that includes octopuses and squids. They have eight arms and two feeding tentacles to capture their prey, typically krill, shrimp and small silverfish.  At Denver Zoo we provide our cuttlefish with fresh shrimp. Feed a cuttlefish for a month = $ 7.50 Feed a cuttlefish for six months = $ 27.50 Feed a cuttlefish for a year = $ 55.00

*Giving options represent the actual costs associated with Denver Zoo’s animal care; however, gifts will be utilized where most needed.


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