6 IN THE KITCHEN Souza works with a team inside the Zoo’s commissary, a building run much like a commercial kitchen — complete with large fridges and freezers and plenty of counter space to sort, wash, chop and blend food for animals of all species — including vibrant melons and pineapples for the birds and hearty sweet potatoes and greens for the mammals. As all food in the Zoo must go through the commissary at some point, the building is constantly bustling as team members make orders, unload delivery trucks, process produce and distribute the food to the animals. With more than 2,000 mouths to feed, Souza and team keep track of hundreds of different diets to ensure every animal is healthy and thriving. That includes the Zoo’s pickier eaters, such as a cassowary who loves grapes and a chimpanzee who goes through phases of only liking greencolored foods. “At least once a week, I’m making a run to the store for a special request,” Souza says with a laugh. “Sometimes, that looks like picking up frozen green beans because the reptile staff thinks it will be a great animal enrichment. Other times, it’s buying a new flavor of sugar-free yogurt for one of our older chimpanzees, as she is known to be very picky.” A BALANCED DIET Before the food can be ordered and processed by the commissary, the Zoo’s veterinary team, led by Dr. Ann Duncan, associate vice president of life sciences, determines diets for each animal. INSIDE THE COMMISSARY THAT FEEDS THE ANIMALS WHO CALL THE ZOO HOME Above is a small sample of Michelle Souza’s weekly shopping list. As the commissary supervisor at the Detroit Zoo, she orders and purchases food for the animals who call the Detroit Zoo home — from the tiniest butterfly to the biggest bear. of Produce 2 Tons of Fish 900 Pounds of Meat 440 Pounds of Bones 100 Pounds of Fresh Browse 80 Pounds and the occasional sugar-free key lime yogurt “It’s a huge job,” Souza says. “At any given time, we have enough food at the Zoo to stock a large grocery store.”
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