Diet and exercise for the zoo’s menagerie

Zoo nutritionists met recently at North Carolina State University to discuss fat animals. Zoo residents, they agreed, were getting too rotund, just like that sedentary species, Homo sapiens.

Such is not the case at Zoo Atlanta, says veterinarian Hayley Murphy, who invoked Mom’s Rules of Living Right: Eat smart; exercise.

Here are five species doing just that:

Gorillas. A fat ape is a sad ape. The gorillas at the zoo are a happy bunch. They eat high-fiber biscuits, augmented with that old standard, oatmeal. If it’s good enough for the kids on a cold morning, well, it’s good enough for a silverback, too.

Lions. Low-fat beef keeps them keen, lean. Did you know zoo employees leave spices in their habitat to keep them prowling and sniffing, staying alert and moving? They do.

Elephants. Give an elephant a high-fiber biscuit augmented with fresh vegetables, and that pachyderm will follow you like a dog. Check out elephants Tara and Kelly, thudding behind their handlers.

Birds. Yes, birds get tubby. With some species, zoo employees cut back on seeds, which are full of fat. They also fill the aviaries with toys to keep the birds flapping.

Giraffes. This is the wild card in the bunch. Zoos cannot duplicate the smorgasbord of different leaves the creatures eat in the wild, so giraffes can get skinny. The zoo gives the giraffes fibrous bamboo leaves and squash peels. If you are a giraffe, nothing is finer than a squash peel.