{"id":28499,"date":"2026-11-06T17:47:10","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T17:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/11\/06\/inside-disneys-animal-nutrition-center-which-doles-out-10000-pounds-of-food-every-day-popular-science\/"},"modified":"2026-11-06T17:47:10","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T17:47:10","slug":"inside-disneys-animal-nutrition-center-which-doles-out-10000-pounds-of-food-every-day-popular-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/11\/06\/inside-disneys-animal-nutrition-center-which-doles-out-10000-pounds-of-food-every-day-popular-science\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Disney\u2019s Animal Nutrition Center, which doles out 10,000 pounds of food every day – Popular Science"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Laura Baisas<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tPublished\t\t\t\t<\/span> \t\t\t\tpeanut butter<\/a>, bright red boxes of Shredded Wheat cereal, and so many varieties of tea<\/a> that even Mary Poppins would be excited. Around the corner, large wooden crates teeming with wide leaves and sturdy grasses, and a walk-in refrigerator full of fresh produce sit ready to turn into dishes that are a feast for the eyes and<\/em> the belly. 
For the team working at Disney\u2019s Animal Nutrition Center<\/a> (ANC) at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, it’s like Thanksgiving every day. The roughly 40 cast members on the animal nutrition<\/a> team is responsible for feeding the over 5,000 animals<\/a> at Disney\u2019s Animal Kingdom Theme Park and The Seas at EPCOT. It takes time, a devotion to the science of nutrition, and really knowing your audience to deliver about 10,000 pounds of food per day. And like putting together any big meal, it requires a team effort, which extends well beyond the animals at Disney.
\u201cWhat we’re trying to do is provide the optimal nutrition for animals to live long and healthy lives, and we do that by taking information from a lot of different fields,\u201d Animal Nutrition Operations Manager Dr. Heidi Bissell<\/a> tells Popular Science<\/em>. \u201cFrom the field of agriculture, we learn a lot about animal physiology and how animals work, and can then design diets with the ingredients we have for specific purposes.\u201d
In addition to bringing in knowledge from across different scientific disciplines, the team collaborates with other accredited zoos, aquariums, and universities to share research and data on animal nutrition. They\u2019ve published studies on animals from bigger animals like zebras<\/a> and rhinos<\/a>, to smaller fish<\/a> and amphibians<\/a>, which is crucial to filling in nutritional gaps. If the team is not sure what a particular species needs to eat in order to thrive, they will turn to comparative nutrition for answers.
\u201cWe go with a close relative [and] take what we know about the animals we do know a lot about and apply that to some of our other species,\u201d Bissell explains. \u201cThen we learn from our own animals by assessing how they\u2019re doing on the diets that we\u2019re offering, so we can gauge their nutritional status and make adjustments as needed.\u201d
Staying nimble and making these adjustments is also important. If a supply chain issue disrupts what the nutrition team can get, having a back-up plan that includes nutritious food is critical. If an animal is familiar and comfortable with at least a few types of food, they will generally fare better, whether there are shortages or not.
At the same time, the nutrition team works to ensure that the food and its presentation mimics life in the wild as much as possible.
\u201cAnimals in the wild are spending their days solving puzzles, trying to figure out how to eat, while staying away from predators or toxins,\u201d Bissell says. \u201cThey’re making a lot of decisions all day, so if we just offered them food in a bowl that would not provide them with mental stimulation.\u201d
One of the most common behaviors is foraging<\/a>, or digging through obstacles like grass, mud, or leaves to find food. The dishes the team creates are often presented in a way that encourages foraging, so that the animals keep up those natural behaviors.<\/a> Leaves will be hung up in a tree for the giraffes to eat as they would in the wild. Carnivores like lions will get whole prey and bones to eat, which also helps keep their own jaws and teeth healthy. The team also pays attention to seasonal shifts to keep animals in their natural rhythm. 
\u201cProbably the biggest group of animals that we do this with would be birds,\u201d says Bissell. \u201cIf they’re laying eggs, they might need more calcium, so we might add sources of calcium into their diet.\u201d
Surprisingly, feeding bigger animals like lions and elephants is not as challenging as making sure that the insectivores have enough to eat. True to their name, anteaters<\/a> almost exclusively eat bugs, and can consume up to 3,000 insects per day. To keep up with all of those the bugs, Bissell and the team work side-by-side with manufacturers to ensure their insect pellets meet the physical and nutritional standards needed to align with insects the anteaters encounter in the wild. To supplement, the anteaters will also get a bit of produce with the insects, since they do also eat fruit.
The responsibility of feeding thousands of animals while keeping up with the latest knowledge on their nutritional needs is serious business. But the team has ways to make the food entertaining for humans and animals alike. Cookie cutters can shape special gelatin laden with nutritional supplements into shapes, while purees made from the foods that the animals already eat can decorate a meal to make it just a little bit more special. 
\u201cWe do a lot with like ice cakes, where we can freeze food in blocks of ice and can color the water with like vegetable dyes, so it’s fun and engaging. And the ice, especially in Florida in the summer, is really nice for hydration,” Bissell explains. “We are often pulling from what’s already in the animal diet or similar things, because just like humans, it’s not a great idea to just add a bunch of stuff on top of your existing diet.”
They\u2019ll also follow themes, from a little fall pies to a driver\u2019s license out of fruit and leaves for a gorilla\u2019s 16th birthday<\/a> and a food sculpture shaped like a margarita for a 21st birthday. That devotion to keeping meals fresh and creative helps all animals, humans included. 
\u201cI like making animals\u2019 lives better, and by extension people\u2019s lives better, because we care about these animals so much,\u201d says Bissell. 
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\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Laura Baisas<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Andrew Paul<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Laura Kiniry<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Jennifer Byrne<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Clarissa Brincat<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Laura Baisas<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Margherita Bassi<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Jennifer Byrne<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Laura Baisas<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Jennifer Byrne<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Niranjana Rajalakshmi<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Clarissa Brincat<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Shoshi Parks<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Jennifer Byrne<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Laura Baisas<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Andrew Coletti<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Andrew Coletti<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Laura Baisas<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Mack DeGeurin<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Andrew Paul<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Andrew Coletti<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Laura Baisas<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Laura Baisas<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Laura Baisas<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Laura Baisas<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
\t\t\t\t By<\/span> Andrew Paul<\/a><\/span><\/span> \t\t\t
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By Laura Baisas Published Nov 6, 2026 10:00 AM EST Cases of peanut butter, bright red boxes of Shredded Wheat cereal, and so many varieties of tea that even Mary Poppins would be excited. Around the corner, large wooden crates teeming with wide leaves and sturdy grasses, and a walk-in refrigerator full of fresh produce […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28500,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28499\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}