Animal Nutrition Center

The **Animal Nutrition Center** in St. Louis, Missouri, specifically the **William R. Orthwein, Jr. & Laura Rand Orthwein Animal Nutrition Center** at the renowned Saint Louis Zoo, is not a typical local veterinary clinic for household pets. Instead, it is a world-class, state-of-the-art facility dedicated to the complex and specialized nutritional management and care of the Zoo’s thousands of wild animals. Located right in the heart of the city's beloved Forest Park, this center represents the Saint Louis Zoo's unwavering commitment to the highest standards of animal welfare, conservation, and zoological medicine.

The Center acts as the culinary and nutritional nerve center for the Zoo's vast and diverse collection, ensuring that every species, from the smallest insectivore to the largest herbivore, receives a precisely balanced and species-appropriate diet. This is a massive, highly technical operation where a dedicated team of nutritionists, keepers, and veterinarians collaborate to formulate, prepare, and deliver daily meals tailored to the specific needs of each animal. The commitment to such exacting nutritional standards is paramount to the long-term health, reproductive success, and overall well-being of endangered and exotic species under the Zoo's care, cementing St. Louis's role as a leader in global conservation efforts.

For Missouri residents visiting the Zoo, the Center offers a unique, often "behind-the-scenes" glimpse into the science of wildlife nutrition. Through expansive glass viewing areas, the public is invited to observe the meticulous processes of food preparation, illustrating the dedication and complexity involved in feeding a collection of over 16,000 animals. This transparency reinforces the Zoo’s educational mission and highlights how nutritional support is intrinsically linked to veterinary and preventive care for the entire animal collection.

### Location and Accessibility

The **Animal Nutrition Center** is an integral part of the Saint Louis Zoo complex, situated at the address: **1 Government Dr, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA**. This address places the facility within the boundaries of beautiful Forest Park, a central and easily reachable location for citizens throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area and beyond.

While the Center itself is an operational facility for animal staff, the Zoo's campus is highly visitor-friendly, with the following accessibility features noted for the broader grounds:

• **Parking:** The facility is supported by the Zoo's public infrastructure, which includes **Wheelchair accessible parking lots** for convenient access to the entire campus.
• **Visitor Access:** The building’s design incorporates public-facing elements, such as large windows along the path that allow visitors to peer inside and observe the daily diet preparation process.

The general Zoo area is designed for high accessibility, making it possible for people of all mobility levels to visit and learn about the groundbreaking work performed in this specialized center.

### Services and Expertise Offered

The work performed at the Orthwein Animal Nutrition Center primarily supports the Animal Health and Animal Care departments of the Saint Louis Zoo. The core function is to ensure that the nutritional component of veterinary care for the entire animal collection is optimized. While the provided data appears to include administrative and facility support functions, the central, highly specialized services are centered around the complex management of animal diets and resources. The internal operations include, but are not limited to, the following specialized areas:

• **Animal Food and Care Materials Preparation:** This involves the daily preparation, portioning, and delivery of specialized diets—a process taking as many as 24 employee hours per day.
• **Nutritional Formulation and Research:** Expert staff, including the Director of Nutrition Services, determine the precise balance of protein, fat, fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals required for thousands of animals across hundreds of species.
• **Preventive Care through Diet:** Nutritional counseling and specialized diets are the first line of defense in the Zoo’s preventive medicine program, crucial for maintaining optimal health, managing weight, and supporting the needs of animals with chronic medical conditions.
• **Reproductive Management Support:** Precise nutrition is essential for successful breeding programs, ensuring animals receive the necessary resources for healthy reproductive cycles and offspring development.
• **In-House Food Production and Storage:** The center manages massive quantities of bulk food items, including up to 700 tons of food moved per year, utilizing high-tech equipment, stainless steel kitchens, cold and dry storage, and large walk-in freezers to store specialty items like fish, frozen prey, hay bales, and produce.

The provided information also references broad institutional functions that underscore the comprehensive infrastructure required to support a world-class zoological institution, which include:

• Architecture Services
• Construction Services
• Engineering Services
• Facility Maintenance Products And Services
• Fleet Vehicles And Services
• Human Resources Services
• Legal Services
• Land Surveying
• Maintenance, Repair And Operation (Mro) Materials
• Health Plans and Medical Assistance (likely for Zoo employees and staff)
• Artist Services

It is critical to understand that the **Animal Nutrition Center** is a major scientific asset that allows the veterinary staff at the Zoo to provide unparalleled **Medical Assistance** and **Preventive Care** to their animal collection through the science of diet.

### Features / Highlights

The Orthwein Animal Nutrition Center is distinguished by its operational excellence and commitment to sustainability, offering several features that highlight its world-class status:

• **LEED Silver Certification:** The building is a U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certified facility, one of only a few in the St. Louis area at the time of its completion. Its design incorporates energy-efficient features like a green roof, optimized heating and cooling, and extensive use of natural light.
• **High-Tech Infrastructure:** The 10,000-square-foot upper level is equipped with four stainless steel food preparation stations, indoor silos for regulated bulk feed storage, and large cold/dry storage areas, allowing for safe, efficient, and sanitary diet preparation.
• **Integration with Conservation Medicine:** The Center supports the Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine by providing a facility for nutrition studies and contributing to research that links the health of zoo animals to free-living wildlife populations and public health.
• **Public Education Component:** Unlike traditional "behind-the-scenes" areas, the Center's design incorporates glass viewing to showcase the science and dedication of the Animal Nutrition Keepers, turning a critical functional area into a valuable educational exhibit for Zoo visitors.
• **Enrichment Integration:** Located in front of the center are **Medicinal Herb Gardens** featuring plants like basil and rosemary, which are utilized as enrichment for the animals. This encourages natural, species-specific behaviors, linking diet preparation to behavioral welfare.
• **Scale of Operation:** The sheer magnitude of the operation—feeding over 16,000 animals with a food budget of approximately $1 million annually and moving vast quantities of specialized foods like 4.32 million crickets and 90,000 pounds of capelin—is a testament to the Zoo's dedication to quality care.

### Contact Information

The Animal Nutrition Center is an internal facility of the Saint Louis Zoo. For general inquiries about the Zoo’s operations, membership, or to discuss conservation efforts supported by the facility's mission, please use the main Zoo contact information:

• **Address:** 1 Government Dr, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
• **Primary Phone (General/Membership):** (800) 966-8877
• **Alternative Phone:** +1 800-966-8877

### What is Worth Choosing the Zoo's Nutrition Center Model

While the **Animal Nutrition Center** is not a choice for the everyday St. Louis pet owner, its model is worth recognizing for the unparalleled level of **veterinary care** it supports for the entire animal kingdom. Choosing to visit and support the Saint Louis Zoo is choosing to invest in a facility that sets the global standard for nutritional science in zoological animal care. Missouri residents can take pride in knowing that the care provided to the animals at this world-class institution is meticulous, scientific, and compassionate. The one review available notes that this is "A great place for the nursing of animals at zoo," which accurately captures its role. It signifies that the facility is part of the essential infrastructure—along with the Veterinary Hospital—that ensures the long-term **Preventive Care** and health of every animal, from the exotic to the endangered, thereby contributing to vital conservation efforts worldwide. Supporting the Saint Louis Zoo supports this critical center of animal health and nutritional excellence.

Animal Nutrition Center

1 Government Dr, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA