Enrichment

  
Gone are the days when animal welfare meant only food, water and shelter. Now their minds
are thought of as another necessary factor to care for. Many zoos, aquariums and other
such facilities working with animals are now putting emphasis on enriching the lives
of captive creatures.

~ excerpt from News from the Underground - August Issue. (Stephanie Mayo) ~

Enrichment:  the process of improving or enhancing an animal's environment and care within the
context of their inhabitants' behavioural biology and natural history.

Enrichment looks at an animal's entire captive environment and using the species' behavioural and
biological needs to re-think the way we house, feed, train and exhibit them. Just as critical to
animal welfare as nutrition and veterinary medicine, enrichment is more than a 'bandaid' on abnormal
behaviour or inactivity, it's an intensive plan of action for captive management with measurable goals and results.

To encourage species-appropriate behaviours there are endless methods which include; the design
of stimulating and naturalistic enclosures, the housing of appropriate social groups in zoos, introduction
of objects, sounds, smells or other stimuli in the animal's environment.

The most widely used form of enrichment is food related. Food can be presented in a variety
of ways such as puzzle feeders (photo above), hidden throughout the enclosure, or
scattered about or burried in substrate. These methods cause the animal to obtain food using
natural foraging behaviours and/or mentally solve the puzzle.

Starting in the 1930s with a study by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) showing that
greater thought applied to animals' accomidation needs revealed to have a profound effect on
their behaviours displayed. Since then many keepers have strived to replicate animals' habitats
in captivity and enrich their lives in many ways.

Check out ZSL's website below for videos on enrichment
www.zsl.org