Enrichment

What is enrichment?

Enrichment is the process:

• of providing stimulating environments for zoo animals so they can demonstrate their species-typical behaviour. 
  
• To allow the animals choice over their environment. 
  
• To enhance their general well-being.

How do we create enrichment?

What does it need to do?

When creating enrichment, you have to think about the animal which you are going to make the enrichment for. Is it:

• Stimulating to the animals senses and curiosity?
  
• Relevant to the animals i.e. to bring out their natural behaviours?
  
• Cheap / Reusable (if possible)?
  
• Bio-degradable (if possible)?
  
• Easy to tidy up i.e. it does not make the enclosure look excessively untidy for the public and cause excessive work for the keepers?
  

How do we make it safe?

Most of all, it has to be safe for the animals for which it is designed:

• Can the animals get caught in it or become trapped by it?
  
• Can it be used as a weapon?
  
• Can an animal be cut or otherwise injured by it?
  
• Can it fall on an animal?
  
• Can the animal choke on or ingest any piece of the object?
  
• Is any part of it toxic, including paint varnish or epoxy resin?
  
• Can it destroy an exhibit/electric fence?
  

Basic Rules

The basic rule is; can the enrichment device safe be given to a young child (1-3yrs old) to play with, e.g. put it in their mouth and do what young children do with their toys without being harmed. If you can say yes, then it will be suitable for the animals.

Enrichment devices have to be robust enough to be possibly thrown over and into the animal’s enclosure, if the animals do not want to come into a secure area to allow the keepers to put the enrichment devices into the main enclosure.

When creating enrichment for animals you will need to research the animals, identify species specific behaviours or behaviours that you would like the animal to display, design the enrichment device and then create their enrichment device.

5 categories of enrichment

Social

• Is the animal single or part of a herd?

Cognitive

• Puzzle feeders and training

Physical Habitat

• Enclosure design and furniture within it's habitat

Sensory

• Tactile, Olfactory, Taste, Auditory and Visual

Food

• Novel food items, food presentation

Paper mache recipe

This is the paste I always use, because it’s stronger than boiled paste and easier to do. You can complete a project with only a few layers of paper. To make up the paste, just pour some white flour in a bowl, and add water gradually until you have a consistency that will work well. (Use a small kitchen mixer so you don’t have any lumps).

How thick should you make your paste?

It’s actually up to you. I prefer the consistency of double cream. Keep in mind that it is the flour, and not the water, that gives strength to your paper mache sculpture. And also remember that each layer of paste and paper that is added to your project must dry completely to keep it from developing mould.

What paper should I use?

The traditional paper to use for paper mache is newspaper, which is torn into short strips. (Cut edges can be used, but they don’t blend in as well. It all depends if you are a perfectionist, but remember it will all be destroyed in a few minutes by the animals). Newspaper is cheap, and it is a soft paper that is easy to bend and mould

Enrichment Websites

Some useful websites:

• Wild Welfare - Founded in 2012, Wild Welfare is a UK registered charity working globally to improve welfare for wild animals living in captivity.
• Enrichment.org - The Shape of Enrichment, Inc. is a non-profit corporation that offers a variety of services to animal care professionals worldwide.
• Animal Enrichment - Disney's animals, science and environment animal enrichment program.
• AZA - Association of Zoo and Aquaria: Animal Care Manuals

Other useful sources:

• A general Google search will bring lots of links to other organisations
• Pictures of animals using enrichment
• Youtube has examples of some amazing enrichment designs!