Eating Habits of Pet Elephants:- If we talk about the elephants that are used for wild safaris and are adopted by people or are kept in the wild sanctuaries or animal habitats like zoo, etc. This forms a major component of their diet. These elephants will eat mostly bales of hay, fortified pellets and acacia leaf fodder but will also find themselves munching on fruit and vegetables such as lettuce, pears, cabbage, apples, broccoli and bananas. If you wish to catch a glimpse of one of these majestic and somewhat rare creatures, however, you can often find them in captive settings, such as zoos or safari parks. They spend an average of 16 hours per day eating! African lions (Panthera leo) are sizable and mighty cats that reside, for the most part, in Africa. The African elephant is much larger that the Asian elephant and consequently eats a lot more than the latter. This forms a major component of their diet. Browse is defined as “shoots, twigs, and leaves of trees and shrubs used by animals for food.” Seneca Park Zoo implements a browse program as part of the elephant management program. The zoo’s lions eat about 500 pounds of meat a week. Chewing on bones is the lion equivalent of brushing your teeth. The majority of that is hay – up to 300 pounds for Willy alone! The Los Angeles Zoo participates in an Elephant Species Survival Plan. Three female African elephants reside at Seneca Park Zoo. Other large herbivores tend to specialize as either grazers (grass eaters) or browsers (parts of woody plants), but elephants do both. The African elephant is much larger that the Asian elephant and consequently eats a lot more than the latter. Anyone who has ever watch the elephants while eating, will never use the term “seizure” for ingestion of elephants. The majority of that is hay – up to 300 pounds for Willy alone! The elephants eat in peace, where they prepare every bite palatable. Hay forms a major part of an elephant's diet when it lives in a zoo, national park or with a mahout. Genny C and Lilac were born in South Africa in 1977 and 1978, respectively, and came to live at the Zoo in 1979. I am often asked this question by visitors while the elephants are enjoying a delicious truckload of browse that the keepers have collected for them. Elephants in captivity are fed a more controlled diet, in small regular portions to mimic the way they would eat in the wild. What Do Elephants Eat? Things to Do Elephants spend the majority of each day moving about and foraging for food. Eating Habits of Wild African Elephants:-The African wild elephants choose to feed on the wild grass and local crops and vegetation grown by the people of villages surrounding the wild boundaries. They get also a little bit of vegetables, fruit, bread and a lot of water. We need you to answer this question! A Zoo Berlin elephant keeper told the Washington Post that the trees are unsold ones donated from local tree farms and vendors, not post-holiday discards from members of the general public. Hay: A common food item that zoo elephants eat is hay. The National Zoo in Washington has documented that Indian elephants consumed 125 pounds of hay alone! The elephants at the Smithsonian's National Zoo are fed throughout the day to simulate their natural feeding pattern. Circus elephants not only face all of the emotional and physical issues that zoo elephants face but also a list of additional struggles. Hay forms a major part of an elephant's diet when it … Elephants are herbivores. The proportions of grass or browse they consume depends on the season and habitat. Answer: The Zoo’s five African elephants eat between 100 and 400 pounds of food a day, depending on the elephant. Ask the Expert: How much do elephants eat? What do Elephants Eat? Elephants have been hunted illegally for their tusks (ivory), and much of their habitat has been destroyed. What do African and Asian elephants eat?