Dr. Chloe Wilde is our wildlife biologist. She studied ecology at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Her favorite topic of study is conservation. Dr. Wilde is passionate about learning about and teaching others about how they can help wild cat populations, including reducing their use of products with palm oil in them. Though Carolina Tiger Rescue does not have any, Dr. Wilde’s favorite animal to study is the clouded leopard.
Dr. Wilde’s Blog 6/14/19
In a previous post, I explained how we feed the kinkajous. Today, I want to talk about feeding a coatimundi!
Coatimundis are related to an animal that is probably around your own house – the raccoon! You may have had a raccoon rummage through your trash for food. Raccoons will eat all sorts of things! They will eat insects, fruits, nuts, fish, amphibians, eggs, the list goes on and on. They are omnivores because they eat both plants and meat. Coatimundis, like their raccoon relatives, are also omnivores. They mostly eat insects and fruit but will eat lizards and rodents as well.
For his meals, Macano Coatimundi gets a tray of various foods to choose from. He gets two different fruits in each meal and several sources of protein. For protein, he will get two types of meat, a bit of dog food, and sometimes even freeze-dried crickets! Last but not least, he will get two hard boiled eggs.
Just like you, Macano has his own favorite foods. Some people like to save their favorite thing on their plate for last, for the grand finale; Macano likes to start with his favorite food. He eats his meat first and if he finishes that, then he may eat his fruit. He also loves the yolk of his hard-boiled eggs and will sometimes only eat the yellow middle and leave the white parts for staff and volunteers to clean up.
Coatimundis are very docile, or easy-going, creatures. They are lowest on our scale for aggression. That means, when it is time to feed Macano, animal keepers can actually go into his enclosure to pick up his old food tray and replace it with the new one. They will still make sure they are not disturbing him or getting too close to him, because he should be able to have his own space. Also, coatimundis can defend themselves with their claws and teeth if they feel threatened. When the keepers go in, Macano tends to follow them around to see what they are up to. He will often eat some food right away and then go back to relaxing until he wants to eat some more. Sounds like the good life to me!