ZOO ANIMALS GETTING FATTER

                                         

I remember to have put two posts on my blog pertaining to growing incidence of obesity in the modern society, leading to life style diseases and ultimately causing health hazards. I do not intend to go into details of this trend of going fatty. What has surprised me today is a research finding that the animals in zoos are gaining weight. Another research in the USA has found that all animals, pet or otherwise, living in human company are getting their bodymass heavier. Is not it strange to find animals going human way in assuming body weight?

The zoo keepers and doctors attending on the animals have revealed that these captive animals have started suffering from life style disease like their human counterparts. They have found the animals suffering from BP, diabetes, cardiac disorders so on and so forth. The trend is also in non-pet animals like dogs, cats etc living in human company. As a result, the zoo managements have not only to manage food for their captive animals but also additionally spend on their medical care. This new side effect of better food is causing a great problem in the zoo managements.

We know that the life style diseases are caused due to faulty life style of the individuals. Straightway we can say that such diseases are the result of more nutritious food intake and lack of physical labour to digest the food. Normally diabetes, BP and coronary complications are prevalent in developed societies where food is of high quality and the man is leading a sedentary life style as almost for all domestic chores, machines are available. Exactly in the same way, zoo animals have also started suffering as they get good and hygienic food and medical aid without any movement. The forest animal cannot afford gaining flab as he has to struggle for the food for subsistence and self defence.

To cope with this problem, the zoo authorities have decided to widen the enclosures and provide facilities so that the animals can play and have fun. They have also decided to stop visitors from feeding junk food to the animals. Instead they can deposit the food in a provided container to be sorted out by the zoo keepers. Is not it a lesson for us as well?