Zoo Chef

Chef Yohn Sutton has a lot to do in his kitchen each day. He washes vegetables, chops apples, and bakes sweet potatoes. He also prepares some more unusual ingredients, like crickets, mealworms, and mice!

Sutton is the nutrition keeper at the Virginia Zoo. Each day, he preps food for the zoo’s 670 animals, ranging from giant millipedes to African lions. It’s a big job. Each species follows a specialized diet. Sutton must ensure that each animal is getting the correct vitamins and nutrients. To do this, he prepares thousands of pounds of food every week—usually all by himself! Science World spoke with Sutton to find out what it takes to feed an entire zoo.

How did you become a zoo chef?

During college, I studied animal nutrition and graduated with a biology degree. I joined the Virginia Zoo as a zookeeper for carnivores—meat-eating animals—and later moved to reptiles. As a zookeeper, I cared for animals by feeding them, cleaning their enclosures, monitoring their health, and providing activities to keep them occupied. In 2016, I was promoted to oversee the zoo’s nutrition center.

What’s a typical day like for you?

My day starts at 6:45 a.m. First, I prepare vegetable diets for herbivores, like rhinos, tortoises, and sloths. I wash produce thoroughly to remove any dirt or pathogens—viruses, bacteria, and other microbes that cause disease. Then I prepare meat for carnivores, like tigers, cheetahs, and lions. Their diet consists of ground meat and frozen rabbits. Once a week they get bones. Gnawing on them helps keep their teeth clean.

All that preparation can take up to five hours. Then I wash at least 200 dishes—some by hand. Keeping everything clean is important for the animals’ health too!

How do you know how much to feed the animals?

We use an equation to calculate the amount each animal should eat each day. Since zoo animals are less active than those in the wild, they don’t need to eat as much to maintain a healthy weight. Our five white rhinos eat the most because they weigh around 4 tons. Each eats about 218 kilograms (481 pounds) of grain weekly!

How is food preparation different for animals than for people?

Humans are omnivores—we eat all sorts of foods. Most animals have very specific diets. Herbivores can’t eat all types of plants. Some might make them sick. For instance, kale is rich in copper (Cu). Eating too much of this element can cause bones of some birds and reptiles to become weak and warped.

Some of the zoo’s animals eat foods that don’t grow in our climate. For example, a species of sloth from Nicaragua eats a flower that grows there. To mimic the nutritional content of this flower, we get creative. We give the sloths green or red bell peppers, which have the same amount of fiber as the flower.

The biggest difference between cooking for animals versus for humans is that I don’t add seasonings—no salt or spices.