Did you know that when ComEd trims trees and branches to prevent them from coming into contact with power lines, it also benefits the animals at Brookfield Zoo?
In partnership with the Chicago Zoological Society, ComEd delivers leaves, twigs, and branches referred to as “browse,” that are trimmed along its power lines to the zoo animals. The deliveries occur twice a week and serve as a nutritious snack to a variety of species including giraffes, gorillas, grizzly bears, kangaroos, okapi, rhinoceroses, camels, rock hyraxes and tapirs.
To allow animals to munch year-round, Brookfield Zoo built a walk-in freezer to store the browse for winter months.
More than 7,000 yards of browse have been supplied to the zoo since the start of the program in 2011. That’s the length of 70 football fields!
Besides being a tasty treat, the animals use the browse as a toy and to clean their teeth!
This year, animals from Lincoln Park Zoo wanted in on the leafy and nutritious fare and had its first delivery of browse in August.
For more information on the Browse Program, visit ComEd.com.
