Hay shortage pushes Rapperswil zoo toward branches and leaves

A shortage of hay caused by drought and summer heat has prompted Rapperswil Children’s Zoo to expand its use of branches and leaves to feed its elephants, SRF reported. The zoo is also seeking donations.

The zoo needs about one tonne of hay a day for its giraffes, ponies, goats, camels and, above all, its elephants. Each elephant eats roughly 100 to 120 kilograms daily. The hay has become considerably more expensive, director Sibylle Marti told SRF.

The zoo is therefore increasing the amount of branches and leaves in the elephants’ diet. In the wild, elephants eat large quantities of this food. The preferred branches come from hazel and willow trees, and zoo staff regularly collect them from farms in the region. The ideal solution would be to stop using hay altogether.

The city of Rapperswil-Jona is also supporting the zoo by allowing staff to cut branches in certain places and by delivering loads of green waste that would otherwise have to be disposed of for a fee.

Members of the public can bring branches and pruned shrubs from their gardens by prior arrangement. However, elephants cannot eat all types of vegetation, so poisonous or pesticide-treated material is not accepted. Marti said the zoo had already received about 20 offers from private individuals and had been able to use three quarters of them.

Financial donations have also allowed the zoo to buy vegetables, which provide an important addition to the elephants’ menu. The zoo has had elephants since it opened more than 60 years ago and now houses eight of them.