Supplement and Diet of Elephant
Diet
Elephants;
- Are purely vegetarian, herbivore
- Eat around 200-300 Kg of fodder per day
- Drink about 150 litres of water
- Favoured foods include: Bananas, bamboo, berries, mangoes, coconuts,
corn, jungle shrubs, palm fruits, sugar cane, wood apples Feronia
elephantorum and wild rice. In western Zoos they are often fed bread
and have developed a taste for this type of food. The popular myth that
elephants love buns probably stems from this peculiarity.
- Salt is essential and the elephant shows a distinct liking for it.
- The elephants digestion system is quite inefficient and only around
50% of the fodder eaten is utilised.
- Cold climates cause stomach aches.
- Some elephants will even peel fruit before eating. The revered holy
Thai white elephant is very particular about eating and will not consume
any food that has fallen on the ground and will not eat with the rest of
the herd.
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