Types of Enrichment

Diet Variation A change in diet may be implemented for animals in many different forms. Presenting whole food instead of small pieces to promote more manual manipulation or offering smallpieces instead of whole items to promote longer periods of foraging behavior - is a simple way to stimulate natural responses.	Browse (limbs and leaves of trees and shrubs) Browse is provided to many animals to be enjoyed as food, exhibit furniture or as a play item.

Puzzle Feeders Puzzle feeders are objects that require manipulation to dispense food. These challenge the animals to use problem solving abilities to obtain food. Pieces of bamboo filled with peanut butter,honey, or raisins make excellent puzzle feeders for our bears.	Sensory Stimulation Sensory enrichment can involve any or all of the five senses. One of the easiest senses to stimulate is the sense of smell, especially with carnivores. For example, allspice and elephant manure stimulate scent-marking and predatory behaviors in the big cats.

Novel Objects Using novel objects can be as simple as adding a pile of leaves to a habitat, giving snowballs to animals that live indoors, or placing live fish in the sea otter pool. Novel objects include anything that the animal does not experience on a regular basis.	Training Programs Training is a type of enrichment that provides mental stimulation to the animals through the process of learning. Training allows our veternarians to secure the cooperation of animals when practicing veterinary procedures such as drawing blood, obtaining weights, and conducting general body inspections. Zoo staff can make medical interactions positive experiences and reduce stress for everyone involved.