CAIRO: Though few people know it, abstention from eating and drinking is not restricted to humans. Vets and wildlife experts say that animals, trees and many other creatures fast. But unlike the deliberate human act of fasting, animals do it instinctively, which proves that all living creatures abstain from food to rejuvenate their cells and restore their energy. Vet Mohamed Nabawi, who specializes in household pets, says that unlike humans, animals have the ability to tolerate starvation because of the instability of their food sources. "Pets could be an exception because they don't have to hunt or fetch for food, Nabawi told Daily News Egypt. "Dogs in particular are more disciplined, he explained, "if you feed a dog once a day, it will turn down a second serving any other time of the day; and dogs accustomed to eating twice a day will get nervous if they are denied their second meal. Cats on the other hand, eat on and off even when they are full. The expert said that camels are an obvious example of fasting animals because they can withstand thirst and starvation for seven days on end. For some animals, fasting is associated with temporary conditions like illness, grief over the loss of its owner or depression. Wildlife encyclopedias say that many reptiles and mammals fast for a few months during hibernation. Frogs manage to survive under freezing water by virtue of their huge reserve of glucose, which protects them from perishing in frosty surroundings. Rats, snakes and squirrels spend the cold winter in their underground dens, where they don't eat or drink for an entire season. They prepare for that long fast by eating enough to last them during the cold season. Other species of snakes and crocodiles that are disturbed by the summer heat choose not to hunt during the summer season, opting instead to sleep in the shade until the weather cools down. Specialists note that following this hibernation animals become healthier and more energetic. In other cases, climatic conditions could sometimes have no link with the fasting of some animals like the seals and lions that refrain from eating during the mating season. Mohamed Taher, a vet at the Cairo Zoo, says that the fasting of animals is best witnessed in their natural surroundings. "Our desert environment is rich in wildlife that must be observed more closely, Taher old Daily News Egypt. He explained: "Because the temperature rises to intolerable highs during the summer most desert animals acclimatize themselves to these surroundings, so you can track several patterns of behavior, one of which is fasting. Although animals at Cairo Zoo don't fast instinctively, he added, keepers induce fasting as means of healthcare treatment. "For example the lions and a tiger species known as 'baber' are served beef as well as donkey meat six days every week, but on the seventh day the lions are served milk and water and the babers milk and fish, he said.
