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Cheetah Companions
The Cheetah: The Race for Survival exhibit features four other animal species common to the open savannahs of Central Africa – bat-eared foxes, Eastern yellow hornbills, African crowned cranes and Guinea fowl. The hornbills and foxes are new to the Indianapolis Zoo.
 There are several species of hornbills in Africa, many named simply by their coloration (including the silver-cheeked, yellow-billed, and red-billed). The Eastern yellow-billed hornbill, Tockus flavirostris, is found in Central East Africa. They are typically ground feeders, foraging on both animals and plants. Their preferred habitat typically includes dry, scrub-woodlands and their diet, like the bat-eared fox, includes termites and ants.
The Zoo acquired a pair of yellow-billed hornbills, one male and one female, from the Brevard Zoo in Florida. These four-year-old siblings were raised by their parents, but are still sociable with their keepers and will perch on a hand to be fed treats like mealworms.
An interesting fact is that yellow-bills seem to be susceptible to iron storage disease (hemochromatosis), therefore food items high in iron and vitamin C are excluded from their Zoo diet. A special pelleted bird food, low Vitamin C fruit (no citrus), mealworms, and earthworms are on their menu. They are active birds and enjoy many different enrichment items such as parrot toys, small leafy branches, and boxes stuffed with shredded paper. The yellow-billed hornbills should be a delightful addition to the Plains Biome!
 Bat-eared foxes, Otocyon megalotis, are a small, sandy gray-colored fox that inhabits the southwest and northeast areas of Africa. They stand 11-15 inches at the shoulder and can be 18-26 inches long. They weigh between 7-12 lbs when fully grown, and can live up to 13 years in human care. These foxes have ears that are over five inches tall. They serve several purposes, but their most important function is for hunting their main source of food – tasty bugs. In the wild they eat many insects such as grasshoppers, and arachnids such as scorpions and spiders, but their absolute favorite food is the harvester termite.
Their huge appetite helps control the populations of termites in Africa; one single fox can consume approximately 1.15 million termites per year. They prefer to hunt at night, using their large ears and their excellent sense of hearing to listen for insects crawling on and under the ground. Then, being a burrowing animal, they will dig up their prey and devour them.
We have three females – Giza, Nuna and Sikio – that came to the Indianapolis Zoo from the San Diego Wild Animal Park, and they will share an exhibit space with yellow-billed hornbills in the heart of our new Cheetah exhibit. Come by and meet and welcome them to Indianapolis!
Bat-eared fox photo by Jackie Curts
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