Piedmont Park Feeds the Gorillas, Elephants and More at Zoo Atlanta
The next time you go to Zoo Atlanta pay attention to what some of the animals are eating. You might recognize some of the food as plants you see at Piedmont Park.
You heard us right! The heart of downtown Atlanta is now a food source for the animals that live in Zoo Atlanta.
Photo Credit: Zoo Atlanta
A few weeks ago, a staff member from Zoo Atlanta reached out to the Piedmont Park Conservancy to let us know about their Browse Program. The Zoo collects browse, leafy plants that many animals use as food in their natural habitats, from a few other businesses and parks around Atlanta. Our friends at the Zoo thought Piedmont Park could be a great source of these plants.
It turns out that they were right! After a visit to the Park, Zoo Atlanta let us know that some of the plant species found in Piedmont Park would qualify as browse. Some examples include privet, bush honeysuckle, and elaeagnus, all invasive species that are regularly removed from the Park. It is worth noting that vines like english ivy can actually be poisonous to the animals.
Thanks to our fantastic volunteers, Piedmont Park is able to provide about eight to 10 bags of these plants to the Zoo on a regular basis. Since the Park is so large, we are able to be a consistent source of these materials for the Zoo, and the Conservancy will continue to supply the Zoo with browse for the foreseeable future.
The next time you visit Zoo Atlanta, pay special attention to the Gorillas, Elephants, Zebras, and monkeys you might recognize their snack!
Photo Credit: Zoo Atlanta
Want to help? Volunteer or donate to the Piedmont Park Conservancy.