Bacteria Survey on Feeds and Carcasses in a Zoo in Japan

Abstract

　This study investigated the viable bacteria count (VBC) and the coliform bacteria count (CBC) on the surface of 7 kinds of feed as well as the carcasses of 5 Japanese wild boar and 5 Yakushima deer in a zoo in Japan and then compared the counts between the feed and the carcasses. The carcasses of these animals are fed to carnivores for environmental enrichment in the zoo. The VBC on the 7 kinds of feed was 1.96–5.72 log cfu/cm2. Three of the 7 kinds of feed were positive for coliform bacteria. For the 5 Japanese wild boar carcasses, the VBC on the breast was 1.52–4.70 log cfu/cm2 and that on the circumference of the anus ranged from 1.79 to more than 6.00 log cfu/cm2. Six of the 10 samples from Japanese wild boar carcasses were positive for coliform bacteria. For the Yakushima deer carcasses, the VBC on the breast was 0.20–2.08 log cfu/cm2 and that on the circumference of the anus was 1.41–3.46 log cfu/cm2. Four of the 10 samples from Yakushima deer carcasses were positive for coliform bacteria. The results suggest that the carcasses and the feed in the zoo had nearly the same bacteria counts.