What works for carnivores
For many of our animals, their sense of smell is very important in their wild state. Many use urine to mark their territory and let others of their species know they are ready to breed. Prey will unwillingly leave a scent trail as they move and blood will lead our predators directly to injured animals. They will use their sense of smell to pick up on all of these things and more. So, we know we can really stimulate them by targeting their nose when thinking of enrichment.
One way we have found that really works is using old straw/ shavings etc from another animals’ enclosure. We can put it into cardboard boxes or stash bits in hidden places around their enclosure. One species that is particularly susceptible to smell is our wolves.
I recently threw a couple of bits of fish in for them to investigate and it was met with great enthusiasm. It is easy to know if they enjoy a smell as they like to roll in it. So, if you see a big muddy smudge on their faces chances are they have just had a lot of fun.
Edible enrichment
Food is a basic requirement for all animals so we can use it to enrich any species.
Simply hiding their food or spreading it out across their enclosure can mean a two-minute meal can take up a lot more time. We can also make toys that their food can be put inside. Therefore they have to work out how to get it out. The more difficult the puzzle the longer it will take for them to get the food.
This is a good way of helping individuals lose weight if they need to as they have to work for their dinner. It is also good for animals that in the wild would spend all their time foraging. It can be difficult to facilitate this in captivity as they do not have unlimited space. However, with good toys we are able make a single feed last.
Our bears are a good example of this. We feed them up to 6 times a day at randomised times. We also use different items at each so they don’t get bored.
Buoy oh buoy
A simple piece of enrichment that they really seem to enjoy are the buoys. These are simple buoys which would be used to mark lobster crates. They have a few small holes in them and their biscuits can then be slotted inside. the bears then have to roll them around to get them out.
These are also easy for the bears to carry around as they have handles. This allows them to take them wherever they feel like sitting. I think they must enjoy these as they are perfectly capable of breaking them but they barely have a mark on them.
Something new in their enclosure or even moving an existing object can be enough to stimulate most of our animals. New things always go down well with our otters. A new slide in the short clawed otter enclosure simply has to be investigated by our female Jill!
If you would like to get our animals something to help stimulate them and have fun please check out our enrichment wish list here. It’s full of exciting things that we know they will love!
