Having a Ball: Increasing Exploratory Behavior in Pig-nosed

Transcription

A Quarterly Source of Ideas for Enrichment
Having a Ball: Increasing Exploratory
Behavior in Pig-nosed Turtles
By Natalie Cook, Animal Welfare Officer, Animal Concerns Research and Education Society, Singapore
P
Pig-nosed turtle
ACRES
(Carettochelys
insculpta)
The rattan ball
containing lotus
flower and mint
leaves.
ig nosed turtles are at risk from the pet
trade and are listed as Vulnerable in the
IUCN Red List. In Singapore, ACRES (Animal
Concerns Research and Education Society) rescues animals
from the illegal pet trade
and houses
them in the
ACRES Wildlife Rescue
Centre until
they are able
to be released
back into the
wild or to a
sanctuary in
their country of origin. The Centre currently houses a
number of pig-nosed turtles and other aquatic
turtles and terrestrial tortoises. The Centre
relies on cost
effective,
non-time
consuming
enrichment.
Our
enrichment
options for
reptiles,
including
aquatic
animals,
are somewhat limited, so the aim of the enrichment
we employ is not to provoke play behavior,
like enrichment for big cats or primates, for
example, but instead to encourage foraging or
exploratory behavior.
Baseline Observations
Observations were taken over three months to
observe one pig-nosed turtle’s behavior and
activity levels. The pre-enrichment observations showed that the turtle, named Cyclops,
was active (mainly swimming) for about half
of the recorded time. The other time was spent
either resting or out of sight in his shelter.
As pig-nosed turtles are nocturnal animals,
the goal of the enrichment was not to increase
the daytime activity levels but instead to
provide Cyclops with something to do during
the times he was active. Cyclops showed interest in investigating novel objects within his
enclosure: during the baseline observations, he
would mouth any objects that had been moved
during cleaning and he would also investigate
objects that entered his enclosure such as a leaf
falling into the water.
Enrichment Device
A rattan ball was filled with an open lotus
flower and was stuffed with mint leaves. It was
weighed down with a rock so it would hang
down into the water. If it merely floated on the
top, Cyclops may not have noticed it, and if it
was too heavy and sank to the floor, it would
not move around the enclosure as designed.
The moveable design of the enrichment ball allowed Cyclops to utilize more of his enclosure
space as he interacted with it.
Enrichment Observations
When the ball was first placed into the enclo-
Volume 20 No. 3, 2011
ACRES
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ACRES
Cyclops
cautiously
approaches the
ball.
After becoming
familiar with the
ball, Cyclops
spent time
interacting with
it.
2
sure, Cyclops appeared to be apprehensive to
approach the ball. On the first day of the enrichment, he spent a long time simply watching
it. It wasn’t
until the
second day
that he approached the
device. He
would swim
up to the
enrichment,
usually approaching
one of the
leaves protruding out,
and nudge
the ball with
his nose,
then swim
backwards
away from it.
He seemed
to be more
interested
when there were lots of leaves and petals sticking out, rather than the foliage being tightly
packed inside. Over time, he appeared to grow
less suspicious and would approach the ball
immediately on the device being placed in the
water.
Behavior
Changes
During the
enrichment,
the amount
of time spent
resting had
increased
slightly
(41.8% preenrichment
to 51.5% during enrichment), but there was a
notable increase in his exploratory behavior
during his activity periods, from 1.8% before
the enrichment to 29% during the enrichment.
Cyclops was observed interacting with the
device for short intervals, approaching slowly
at first, observing the ball and then touching
the ball with his snout. Although he didn’t
manipulate the ball as much as we initially
thought he might—we had thought he might
even rip the ball to pieces—he still had a level
of interaction with a novel object he did not
have before.
Conclusion
The short term goals of the enrichment were
achieved. During Cyclops’ periods of activity,
swimming behavior decreased and exploratory
behavior increased, as was hypothesised.
Although Cyclops did not spend all his
active time manipulating the device, after rest
periods he would reinvestigate afresh. This
enrichment was easy to make and affordable.
The ball was able to be reused several times,
which makes it ideal for a charitable organization with limited funds.
A smaller ball may incite more interaction
from the turtle, as the large size may have
incited an initial fear response. Changing the
scented herbs inside the ball for variety may
also elicit a change in behavior. G
Acknowledgements
Thanks to the ACRES wildlife rescue and animal care team, in particular, Anbarasi Boopal,
Director of the ACRES Wildife Rescue Centre,
Hafz’zan Shah, Gary Chua, Jason Goh, and Tan
En for their support and help. Also thanks to
Cyclops, the pig-nosed turtle.
The Shape of Enrichment Volume 20 No. 3, 2011
Primate Enrichment in the Canopy, on the
Ground, and Hidden Away
By Guy Waddilove, Mammals South, Zoological Society of London, United Kingdom
London Zoo
W
London Zoo
Left: Log with
drilled holes;
right: pine cone
feeder
Roofed block
feeder
e use a variety of enrichment devices for the
primates at the London Zoo. The devices
featured here have been split into three categories, depending on the nature of foraging behaviour they are designed to encourage: canopy,
ground, and hidden. Most are easy to install and
clean, and they
can be relocated or removed
and reinstalled,
which can
renew original
levels of interest and further
enhance their
enrichment
value.
From what
we have seen,
most of our monkeys seem prefer to take food
from enrichment feeding devices. If simultaneously offered the same food items on shelves,
the floor, or platforms, they invariably choose to
plunder the enrichment devices before approaching the more obvious
and easily obtained food.
When using enrichment
devices in a group situation, especially when one
animal is particularly
domineering, we use an
appropriate number of
feeders simultaneously to
ensure enrichment for all
group members.
CANOPY FORAGING
Suspended feeding devices encourage naturalistic foraging behavior “in the canopy,” which
is where many primate species would naturally
obtain the majority of their food.
Drilled Holes
The holes of drilled branches can be filled with
seeds, raisins, nuts, grapes, or small pieces of the
rusual diet wedged into them, or filled with soft
foods such as flavored mashed potato, porridge,
rice, or squashed banana.
If a branch has two or more offshoot branches
on one side only, or is awkwardly curved, the
branch will rotate or swing in an elliptical manner
when suspended vertically. This is a sensation
the monkeys seem to relish. An elliptical branch
can offer environmental, motile, non-food related
enrichment, but can also be drilled to double up
as a feeder.
Pine Cone Feeders
Some species of pine, such as Monterey, retain
their large cones on the bough long after a branch
has been cut from the tree. After being baked in
an oven, these large cones open to provide a mass
of narrow crevices, perfect for holding and hiding
small morsels like seeds and raisins. The branches
can be drilled through and then suspended to
provide enrichment for smaller species or those
inclined to forage thoroughly, such as squirrel
monkeys or macaques.
While easily refilled, they are liable to spill
small food items onto the ground, making them
suited for species that forage on the ground. If
cones are kept in a fridge for a while or frozen,
they close up again to firmly conceal any treats
within, making them interesting to more destructive species, like mangabeys. However, these
cones are a limited resource, since they are not
easy to come by, especially those still attached to
the branch.
Roofed Block Feeders
An overhanging roof provides rain cover and limits access to a block of wood with variously-sized
holes drilled into it to various depths. Placement
is important, with the device ideally unreachable
from any surrounding branches or the ground. It
encourages natural foraging for the entire group,
since the roof requires some coordination and
dexterity to negotiate, thus restricting the amount
of food any individual can take away with them
to consume.The monkeys take turns collect-
3
Ker-Plunk Browse Feeders
Rewards are obtained by the
removal of sticks that suspend
food items within a vertical or
horizontal tube of bamboo or
elongated wooden box. The ends
of the sticks can be suffused with
different scents, thus combining olfactory enrichment with a
puzzle that yields a food reward.
Enrichment value is enhanced for
browsing primates such as colobus if stems of browse are used
instead of plain sticks.
Hopper Feeders
Hoppers require patience and
dexterity to extract seeds, nuts,
raisins, etc. from pieces of
bamboo or wooden boxes with
a small opening made at their
base,thereby prolonging feeding
time. Hoppers can be fixed to an
upright log with holes drilled into
its sides, thus combining it with
a drilled branch feeder. If suspended, this device can also have
a platform affixed to its base,
providing a handy perch and preventing reward items from easily
falling to the ground.
Suspended Platforms
When placed away from other
furnishings, a suspended platTop: Browse
feeder; middle:
form combines leaping and feeding opportunihopper feeder;
ties for less dextrous, arboreal species, such as
bottom: bamboo
colobus or Diana monkeys. Stabilizing side ropes
knot feeder.
reduces the likelihood of the platform tipping,
Opposite:
platform feeder
and a rim around the edge further prevents food
and tube feeder
items from easily falling off. Such platforms
4
provide the enclosure with an extra and unusual
feeding station that moves and swings.
GROUND FORAGING
Often highly intelligent primates such as gorillas,
macaques and mangabeys conduct a high proportion of their foraging at ground level in the wild.
Scatter feeds encourage such behavior in captivity, while enrichment devices can present more
challenges.
Tube Toy
Feeders
This device
is a hollow
tube with
several
holes drilled
towards either end of
it, threaded
with rope.
It can be
made from
plastic tubes
or small
sections of
bamboo
(for species unable to shatter or splinter it). Food
items or live food placed in the central portion of
the tube are held by the criss-crossing rope, until
the device is thrown about sufficiently to release
food or the ropes are untangled and pulled out
by the recipient animal. Such toys are especially
suited to ground foragers but can also be suspended to require swatting or knocking to release
the food reward.
Drilled Logs
Drilled logs provide ideal enrichment for ground
foraging species. Variously-sized holes can be
filled with foods like flavored mashed potato,
rice, porridge, or squashed banana. If small holes
are drilled at an angle outwards from the base of
a single row of large holes, flavoured or treat-laden ice is prevented from slipping out of the holes
once it begins to melt, making a longer-lasting log
lollipop.
Drilled logs encourage tool use and even tool
manufacture when offered to gorillas, which use
bark chips to scoop out the contents of the holes.
London Zoo
London Zoo
ing food from the device. It does not, therefore,
require the deployment of multiple devices when
used with groups dominated by
one individual. Two central pillars
inserted into the block of wood
prevent the roof from tipping,
while food being placed in the
holes in the block stops it from
being easily spilled.
London Zoo
Top and middle:
compartment
feeders;
bottom: seesaw feeder
Starting with the largest holes, they then strip the cret) only occasionally, though their effectiveness
bark chips down to appropriately match the diam- as enrichment tools is increased by periodically
eter of the next largest holes and continue adjustchanging their location within an enclosure.
ing them to the holes of smallest diameter.
The enrichment value of hidden reward feeders can be greatly enhanced by combining two of
False Beaches
the feeders into a single device. For example, two
Some monkeys regularly beach-comb in the wild
bamboo knot ropes hanging from either end of a
or forage in swampy areas, such as Sulawesi
compartmentalised plank or platform, or a seecrested macaques and white-naped mangabeys.
saw suspended by a bamboo knot rope.
By providing a large,
sturdy, and shallow water Compartment Feeders
container and putting
Lengths of split bamboo or boxes fixed to a
some food in it, or mixing suspended platform or wooden plank provide
food items with a layer
hidden crevices to explore. Compartments can
of pea shingle below the
be placed beneath planks or platforms and fitted
water level, monkeys are
with an internal divider to warrant investigaencouraged to use foragtion from both end. Construction does require
ing behaviors. The use of
screws, so this is unsuitable for species likely to
pea shingle provides hid- chew wood, such as mangabeys.
den reward enrichment,
since monkeys will investi- Bamboo Knot Feeders
gate even when empty, to Another form of hidden reward device, since
see if there are more food
sections of bamboo must be lifted up from a knot
items. Consequently, false beneath them to release any food items hidden
beaches can be left in situ
within. This movement can easily be restricted
indefinitely.
by also tying a knot just above the bamboo, thus
limiting the amount of food that will fall out each
False Burrows
time a length of bamboo is lifted. This idea can be
A suitable length of
combined with a platform, which, when placed at
smooth plastic pipe can
the top of the knotted rope, acts as a rain cover, or
be cut at a shallow angle
as a convenient perch if placed at the base.
and blocked at the bottom
end, then buried in the
See-Saw Feeders
ground within an encloUsing an elongated wooden box with holes near
sure and secured by plac- the ends provides a feeder of nuts, seeds, grapes
ing a heavy rock over the
or live food combined with a suspended see-saw.
disturbed substrate. Any
This provides opportunities for cooperative play
tactilely interesting article or food items can then
(particularly for juveniles) and the use of hand/
be left in the false burrow for ground foraging spe- eye coordination through catching falling food
cies to investigate. Such false burrows encourage
or searching for it on the ground. Suspending the
olfactory and auditory investigation (as opposed
device with two central ropes restricts the degree
to visual) of a hidden reward form of enrichment. of motion somewhat, which makes the device
safer, particularly if hung clear of other branches
INVESTIGATIVE FORAGING
and low to (but clear of) the ground. ConstrucMany species, such as squirrel monkeys and
tion requires screws so device is not suitable
macaques, travel through forests investigating for for those species liable to chew wood, such as
potentially hidden food items. Devices that may
mangabeys. G
contain hidden food encourage this type of natural
foraging behavior and are investigated even when
empty. Because of this, such devices can be left in
enclosures indefinitely and filled (preferably in seThe Shape of Enrichment Volume 20 No. 3, 2011
5
Olfactory Enrichment for Carnivores
By Juliana do Carmo Padilha, Graduation in Biology, UNESP, Rio Claro-SP, Brazil; Eliana Ferraz Santos,
Department of Biology, Zoo “Bosque dos Jequitibás”, Campinas-SP, Brazil; Eleonore Zulnara Freire Setz,
Laboratory of Mammal Ecology and Behavior, Department of Animal Biology, UNICAMP, Campinas-SP,
Brazil
O
lfactory stimuli influence the behavior of
many species and are considered effective
agents of environmental enrichment for captive
Top: Puma
behaviors: a)
smelling, b)
cheek rubbing,
c) forehead
rubbing, d) gular
rubbing, b) and
c) “salivate”
behavior. Middle:
Maned wolf
behaviors: a)
digging, b) and
c) cheek rubbing,
and d) back
rubbing or rolling.
Bottom: Bush
dog behaviors:
a) smelling; b)
dominant male
(at left) urinating
over bait.
6
animals. Applying them in enclosures encourages
exploratory and scent marking behavior, while
not interfering with feeding and other activities
(Schapp, 2002).
Carnivores communicate widely via persistent
odors from feces and urine or secreted by specialized glands, which are spread in the environment when animals rub their body against the
substrate. Olfactory signals are used in a variety
of behavioral situations, but they often appear
associated with the expression of dominance and
territorial control in social communication. These
signs are important to keep the integrity of the
territory and inform age, gender, sex, and repro-
ductive condition, dominance, and individual
identity. Furthermore, they may work to aid navigation and advertise ownership, thereby reducing
agonistic encounters (Ewer, 1998). Scent marks
are commonly deposited on rocks, branches, and
vegetation, along trails, and in shelters (Gorman,
Trowbridge, 1989).
In the present study, we used the scent baits
“Canine Call” and “Pro’s Choice” as environmental enrichment for 69 individuals of 17 species of
Neotropical carnivores, representing four families: Felidae, Canidae, Procyonidae, and Mustelidae, in three zoos of São Paulo State, Brazil (Zoo
“Bosque dos Jequitibás”-Campinas, Municipal
Ecological Park of Americana, and Municipal
Zoo of Piracicaba). Each bait scent was placed by
putting one drop on the ground and another on
a platform, a tree branch, or trunk already in the
enclosure.
The behaviors were recorded by the animal
focal sampling method (Altmann, 1974). Each
animal behavior, along with its duration, was
recorded in relation to the bait scent over an
observation period of one hour conducted during
daylight hours. One run was conducted on each
bait scent with each animal.
For most of the species examined, the scents
showed great potential for environmental enrichment, since they elicited strong inspection and
scent-marking behaviors. We recorded 21 scentrelated behaviors (Table 1). Some of these seemed
to be exploratory, such as lick, nibble, and dig.
The time spent investigating the scents varied
greatly between different individuals of the same
species. The scents did not elicit responses for
kinkajou, crab-eating raccoon, river otter, grison,
and giant river otter. These either showed no
interest at all or only briefly smelled the scents.
The interactions of felids with the scent were
similar across species. The animals identified
where the bait was placed and began rubbing
their cheeks, foreheads, and gular regions over
the spot. Furthermore, they rolled over the scent,
scratched the trunk, and urinated on top. The
puma female salivated as she rubbed the scent.
The males, in general, marked the scented area
with urine spray together with scaping with hind
Table 1:
Behaviors
displayed by
the animals.
legs. Responses lasted about 20 minutes, and
after 30 minutes the animals lost interest.
Canid responses were similar to those of
felids and were characterized by rubbing the face
and back in the scent, digging where the scent
was placed, and urinating over it. Some demonstrated species-specific behaviors, such as the
bush dog female that marked the scent placed on
tree branches while doing a “handstand.” With
canids, interest in scents generally lasted between
5 and 10 minutes.
It is noteworthy that few procyonids and
mustelids responded to the scent. Among procyonids, only coatis showed some interest in the
scent, and that was the species that interacted
for the longest time, approximately 45 minutes.
Coatis presented only two specific behaviors.
Both male and female rubbed the forepaws in the
ground moistened by the scent and spread it on
the inside of the tail. The males also rubbed their
testicles on the scent. Among mustelids, only the
tayra responded to the scent, but for a
short period of time, around 5 minutes.
The animal rubbed its cheeks, defecated, and urinated on the scent.
The results from this study support
the potential use of olfactory stimuli
for environmental enrichment of a
number of species of carnivores. Many
species spent substantial amounts of
time investigating the bait scents, which
stimulated the animals to exhibit a number of scent-marking behaviors previously described in the literature for wild
animals.
References
Altmann, J. Observation study of behavior: sampling methods. Behavior, v.49,
p.227-267, 1974.
Ewer, R.F. The Carnivores. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998, 500 p.
Gorman, l.m.; Trowbridge, b.j. The
Role of Odor in the Social Lives of
Carnivores. In: Gittleman, j. (Org.).
Carnivore Behavior, Ecology and Evolution. Ithaca: Cornell University Press,
1989. p. 57-89.
Schapp, D. Enriching the Devil: The
Tasmanian Devil. The Shape of Enrichment, v. 11, n.1, p.1-4, 2002.
Female coatis rubbing the soil with scent on
their tail.
7
Aardvarks Live to Dig and Eat:
Give Them a Little Fun
By Miklos Faludi, Keeper, and Katalin Toth, Trainee, Zoo Budapest, Hungary
I
Zoo Budapest
n May 2011, Budapest Zoo in Hungary received
1.1 aardvarks for breeding purposes. Their arrival was very special, as the last time Budapest
Zoo had aardvarks was in 1912. The aardvarks
Zoo Budapest
An aardvark uses
the feeder ball.
arrived from Zoo Gyor in Hungary, where the
male was born in May 2010. The female came
from Tanzania, and came to us after a quarantine
period at Zoo Gyor. Her
birth date is estimated
to be in February 2010.
Both of the animals are
very young, curious, and
active.
We built a reverse
day/night enclosure to
show them to the public
as active animals in the
dark. The night cycle is
from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30
p.m. The enclosure is
approximately 40 square
meters. It has 60 to 70
centimeters of deep
New items in the
aardvark exhibit. sandy soil, which the aardvarks can dig in as
much as they want.
The male was used to humans, and he moved
around more and allowed himself to be touched
8
immediately. The female was shy and seemed
stressed. She started to pace by the walls. After
the first few days, the female started to relax, and
on the fifth day she left her sleeping box, the crate
she had been transported in, and dug herself a
hole in a corner of the exhibit. Since then, she
sleeps and rests there. The male still uses his own
box. After the first week, both animals moved
around more and more while exploring the
enclosure.
The enclosure had only very basic enrichment:
thick, sandy soil and big, heavy logs, which soon
started to disappear in the sand due to the aardvarks’ digging activity. The exhibit had started to
look poor and bare, and these young animals did
not have not much to do. The highlight of their
days was the feeding three times a day. After eating, they moved around the exhibit a few times
and sniffed around. They then disappeared into
their dirt hole or box for sleeping until the next
feeding. This was not good for the animals, and
not good for the public either. So we made some
changes.
We did some brainstorming for ideas, with a
few restrictions. First, we couldn’t use objects on
the sandy soil that they could move, since they
would dig them loose within 10 minutes, so we
decided any enrichment object or tool needed
to be hung. Second, any food (worms, smashed
eggs, small cuts of fruits/vegetable) could not be
put on the ground, since they would ingest the
sandy soil along with the food, which could damage their mouths. And third, we needed to use
natural materials that we had around, rather than
things we would have to purchase.
Changing the Look of the Exhibit
The big logs standing halfway out and the sandy
soil were the basics of the exhibit, but in the wild,
even the dry savanna has some trees and bushes.
As living trees and plants would not survive this
enclosure, we made fake trees from bamboo. The
bamboo logs were placed and anchored in holes
dug down to the solid ground, and they were of
Zoo Budapest
different lengths to have smaller or taller trees.
We put leaves, branches, and corn husks into
them. These green materials need to be changed/
replaced weekly or biweekly. We have planted
four trees, which give a new look, new smells,
new materials,
and new colors
to the exhibit.
All four survived the first
night, although
the aardvarks
did try to dig
them out, unsuccessfully.
Zoo Budapest
Browse added
to the bamboo
holders.
The feeder ball
suspended from
a “tree.”
Hanging Food
One of the bamboo logs was drilled on two sides to have three
centimeter diameter holes, serving as a container.
We put live worms, smashed boiled eggs, and
small cuts of avocado and melon into these holes,
and then stepped
back and waited.
Within a few minutes, the aardvarks
discovered the feeder
and tried to get the
food by licking at it
through the holes.
This was the first
time we managed to
show the public how
long a tongue these
animals have, and
how they use it to get
the termites and ants
out from tight places
in the wild.
Then we borrowed a food-ball
from the babirusas.
This food ball is about 20 centimeters in diameter and has four 10 millimeter-size holes. These
holes seemed to be small for the aardvarks, so we
enlarged them to 16 millimeters. We filled the ball
with live worms, hung it from the tallest bamboo
tree, and waited. This was discovered immediately. At first, the animals only pushed it and
sniffed around, but when the first worms fell out,
the aarvdarks understood its purpose and started
to empty the ball. For precautions, a plastic collar
was put around the bamboo, so the falling worms
land on this collar and not on the sandy soil.
Future Plans
Using these two techniques, we have managed to
change the exhibit and animals’ behavior without
added expense. From here, we have further ideas
that we plan to integrate for the aardvarks.
* The sleeping boxes (in which the animals
were originally transported) will be changed for
wooden barrels, or metal barrels covered with
natural material like mat/wattle to prevent them
from being damaged by the aardvarks’ strong
claws.
* To reduce the dust getting into the air from
the sandy soil, the surface will be partly covered
with hay and straw. This can be changed easily,
and the animals can dig at it without issue.
* Location of the trees will be changed
periodically—with five minutes work, a tree can
be moved and placed in a new position.
* Train the animals for a walk: these aardvarks
only have an indoor exhibit. The lights have been
chosen to be as close to natural as possible, but
this is not enough. So if we cannot get the natural
light to the animals, the animals need to get out
to the natural light. A walk in the park during
good weather would be good not only for the
animal’s health and serve as excellent enrichment
(new smells and noises, new figures, different
surfaces) but also as an educational opportunity
for the public since they will be able to get close
to these very uniqe and special animals. G
9
A Contest of Ideas: Enrichment at
Lory Park Zoo
By Althea Guinsberg, Lory Park Zoo, South Africa
Lory Park Zoo
M
Meerkats
investigate the
combination
burrow and
feeding
opportunity.
10
ahatma Gandhi once said, the greatness
of a society and its moral progress can be
judged by the way it treats its animals. If we
consider the importance of animal welfare for
animals in captivity, enrichment becomes a key
area. Zoo animals not only depend on their keepers to take care of them by meeting their daily
basic requirements but also to provide the necessary stimulation that
relieves boredom,
heightens senses,
and provides the
opportunity for the
animals to express
natural behaviors.
It is with this in
mind that in June
2011, Lory Park Zoo
held an enrichment
competition between
the section keepers. The goal was to
stimulate out-of-thebox thinking with
the staff and ensure
that new ideas were
formulated for
enrichment that had
not been previously
done in the Zoo.
The results were
far beyond what
anybody expected,
and the teamwork
between the keepers and staff was certainly
inspiring to see. Each keeper chose two animals
in the park and had a week to come up with a
new enrichment activity for those animals. Robyn
Ingle-Moller, the Enrichment Officer from The
National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, was
also in the Zoo on the day to assist with judging
and graciously donated entrance for the winning
team to the Animal Keepers Association of Africa
(AKAA) conference being held in October.
There were a multitude of ideas that came out
on the day, such as papier-mache giraffes for the
Siberian tigers to destroy, hanging scented balls
for the white lions to knock about, and coconuts
filled with grapes for the monkeys to fish out.
Some examplesfrom the three winning teams are
outlined below:
Meerkat Enrichment (winning team)
Timothy Chirwa and his team created a feeding
structure that would provide more of a challenge
for the meerkats to get their food, rather than
being able to simply walk up to a bowl. The team
made a raised box that could only be accessed
through two pipes leading into it from one side
and a ramp on the other. Half the box was covered
to provide shelter and to act almost like a burrow
filled with bedding material. From the box, there
were two raised platforms going out to two sides.
Both platforms had holes cut in them so that the
food and water bowls could be sunk into them.
The platform for the water was directly connected
to the box, so that easy access to water was not
compromised. The platform for the food was built
to make getting to the food a little trickier. The
food platform was connected to the box with a
threaded rod. PVC pipes were put over the rod so
that moving from the box to the platform required
some thinking and a little bit of courage. The goal
with the structure was to get the meerkats to work
for their food as they would have to in the wild.
The meerkats were quick to explore the pipes
and ramp leading into the box and seemed to
enjoy playing in the “burrow.” They were a little
nervous about stepping on the PVC pipes to get
to the food, but of course once one brave meerkat
did it, the others were quick to work out that they
were not in danger and followed suit. It was a
very successful enrichment and the structure has
now been added to their enclosure permanently
since the results were so outstanding.
Coati Enrichment (second place)
Amos Ngwira and his team decided that the coatis
would be great candidates for enrichment, since
the male had been displaying some stereotypical
behavior, and the team wanted to see if they could
lessen the degree of this behavior.
Lory Park Zoo
With this in mind, we thought that if we could
create a sleeping area that was more in the sun, it
could also be used to facilitate moving the aninmals from the sleeping quarters to the trees in the
enclosure without having to walk across the floor.
The basis of this decision was that coatis are exceptional climbers and prefer to be up in a tree or
safely ensconced in a bush than walking along the
ground, where
they would be
more likely to
be preyed upon
in their natural
habitat. As such,
we decided to
make a hammock, which
they could use
to sleep in and
to get from their
night quarters to
the tree.
A spider monkey
Their
reaction
was
exactly
what
we thought
and mona
monkey eat from it would be: as soon as we put it up and left the
the coconuts.
enclosure, they moved toward it and proceeded to
walk up and down smelling every bit of it. They
seemed to enjoy it so much that we have now left
it in the enclosure on a permanent basis.
Primate and King Vulture Enrichment (third
place)
For the brown-headed spider monkeys and a
mona monkey, Corlia van Niekerk and her team
decided to take coconuts and drill a hole through
both ends and fill it with various pieces of fruit
that the monkeys are quite partial to. This enrichment was to simulate more natural feeding
behavior by making them work for their food. It
also ensured that the primates would be busy for
an extended period of time.
The team put the coconuts around the enclosure for them to find. Upon letting the primates
out, at first they were only interested in the group
of people standing around their enclosure to see
the results of the enrichment. However, hey did
eventually notice the coconuts that were hidden
in their enclosure. They kept busy with them
throughout the afternoon, and once they had
gotten all the food out, the coconuts were used
as play toys. Unfortunately they were unable to
break the coconuts open as the team had hoped,
but they certainly gave it their best effort and
pulled all the fibers off the coconuts in the process.
As further enrichment, the team opened the
coconuts for them the next day, and they loved
eating out of the shell. The enrichment was a great
success, as it not only elicited a reaction from the
monkeys but also got them to eat in a fashion that
closely resembled their feeding behavior in their
natural environment.
Our king vultures have a poor record of reacting to enrichment and rarely exhibit any interest.
Corlia’s team decided to take up the challenge
by creating a food-oriented enrichment activity
for the vultures by building a little wagon out of
wood.
Meat was placed in the wagon and the wagon
was covered in skin, thereby stimulating an
“animal.” King vultures are New World vultures
and have an extremely keen sense of smell, which
means they would smell the meat under the skin.
The wagon was designed so that it could be pulled
by a piece of rope that could be removed from it as
soon as interest was shown by the vultures.
The movement of the wagon would be better
suited to a bird of prey that catches its food rather
than a vulture, so to combat this, the team moved
the wagon ever so slightly to make it look more
like a carcass. The vultures however did not show
interest in the wagon when it was moving or in
the meat as we had hoped. So the following day,
we removed the skin from the wagon and then the
vultures came down to eat the meat.
Although the king vultures did not have a
response that we would have liked, it was not an
entire failure. It did indicate that we need to be
more creative with these majestic birds.
Conclusion
The benefits of enrichment cannot be stressed
enough. It is evident that there are many different
types of enrichment for different animals—it just
takes some time and creative thinking. One must
be mindful, however, that when doing enrichment it is essential that there is no way for the
animal to injure itself or for it to negatively affect
the animal. With those precautions, the rewards of
enrichment will go a long way to support captive
animal welfare. This was certainly a great initiative
by the Lory Park team that thrilled both staff and
animals and has brought forth a host of great ideas
to be incorporated into the Zoo’s operations going
forward. G
11
The Shape of Enrichment’s Enrichment Idea Database
Now Available!
The Shape of Enrichment proudly announces our new online, searchable Enrichment Idea Database (EIDB)! Information such as Enrichment Category and Goals, Taxa, Material, Construction and Installation Time, Appearance,
Cost, Durability, Method of
Cleaning, Description, Safety
Concerns, Assessment Method, and Results are requested
of every idea entered in the
database. Most of these are
searchable: you can search
one or any combination of
a wide variety of attributes.
Are you looking for low-cost,
natural-appearing ideas for
your animals? Or something
to reduce stereotypy? Or perhaps something new that is
tough enough to stand up to
your most curious or destructive species? The EIDB can
provide inspiration for those
needs and many more.
For now, the database is read-only and contains only ideas from The Shape of Enrichment, REEC and ICEE
Proceedings, and Shape’s Enrichment Workshops. However, in 2012, subscribers will be able to submit their own
ideas and ideas from their institutions for consideration. And here’s the best news! Access to the EIDB is FREE
with all 2012 subscriptions ordered on our website by registered users. To be authorized to use the EIDB, follow
these steps:
• Register on www.enrichment.org
• Log in when ordering
• Order online
That’s it! The format for your subscription (hard copy or digital) and payment method do not matter. But you
MUST place the order via our online ordering system. (Note that magazine and newsletter subscription services,
such as EBSCO, will not be able to offer you access to our database). Our 2011 subscribers receiving the publication in digital format currently already have access to this new feature. Just log in and click on “Enrichment Idea
DB” under Services on the main menu bar.
At this time, the portion of the database available for viewing is limited (about 50 ideas). But, by early 2012,
literally hundreds more ideas will be visible. The ideas have been entered and are working their way through our
two-tiered review system. The EIDB will continue to grow, providing information for a wide variety of species,
situations, and environments. If you’d like to have access to this exciting feature, register on our website and order your 2012 subscription online. We hope this database will be helpful in your enrichment planning and implementation!
12
The Enrichment /Training Video Library
This library consists of video tapes donated in the interest of sharing enrichment techniques, a collaborative effort between The
American Association of Zoo Keepers, Inc. (AAZK) and The Shape of Enrichment, Inc. All videos are available in VHS-NTSC
(North America), -PAL, or -SECAM formats. Please do not copy these tapes or request more than three at a time.There are four
geographical areas handling videos. If you live in Europe, Africa, or the Middle East, contact our video volunteers at [email protected]. If you live in Australia, New Zealand, or the nearby South Asia regions, contact [email protected]. If you live in South America, contact [email protected]. If you live in the U.S. or anywhere else not mentioned, contact our main office at [email protected]. Be sure to include your full address and the VHS format required.
Information on the library and order forms can also be found on our website at www.enrichment.org.
GENERAL ENRICHMENT AND
TRAINING
• A Look at Enrichment, The Shape of
Enrichment, Inc., San Diego, California
(Video or CD) 37 min.
• That’s Enrichment!, The Shape of
Enrichment, Inc., San Diego, California
(Video or CD) 12 min.
• Enrichment at the Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Australia 5 min.
• Behavioural Enrichment by the People
for the Animals, Rotterdam Zoo, The
Netherlands 18 min.
• Environmental Enrichment: Advancing
Animal Care, UFAW, U.K. 38 min.
• Metro Washington Park Zoo
Environmental Enrichment Program,
Portland, Oregon 16 min.
• And Enrichment For All, San Diego Zoo,
California 19 min.
• Menagerie’s Medium, San Diego Zoo,
California 11 min.
• Habitat Enrichment Ideas from the Topeka
Zoo, Kansas 32 min.
• Enrichment Day at Utah’s Hogle Zoo 42
min.
• ABC-123 Enrichment at Hogle Zoo, Utah
10 min.
• Taking Enrichment to the Next Level,
Hogle Zoo, Utah 10 min.
• Enrichment at THE ZOO Including
Tamarins on the Loose, Gulf Breeze Zoo,
Florida 40 min.
• Mixed Species Exhibits by Animal Choice,
Gulf Breeze Zoo, Florida 8 min.
• Columbus Zoo Enrichment, Ohio 7 min.
• I Get a Kick Out of You and Manatee
Training and Enrichment, Ohio 5 min.
• Lincoln Park Enrichment Day, Chicago,
Illinois 15 min.
• Sedgwick County Zoo Play Days, Wichita,
Kansas 50 min.
• Target Training, Brookfield Zoo, Illinois
12 min.
• The Training Game, Brookfield Zoo,
Illinois 16 min.
• Operant Conditioning at the Memphis Zoo,
Tennessee 90 min.
• Animal Training for Different Species,
Columbus Zoo, Ohio 58 min.
PRIMATE ENRICHMENT AND
TRAINING
• Gorilla Training at the Belo Horizonte Zoo,
Brazil
• Primates with Boomer Balls, Boomer Ball
83 min.
• Training Program for Semen Collection in
Gorillas, Henry Doorly Zoo 38 min.
• Gorilla Enrichment, Columbus Zoo,
Ohio 18 min.
• Gorilla Enrichment, Denver Zoo,
Colorado 15 min.
• Gorilla Husbandry Training for Assisted
Reproduction at Disney’s Animal
Kingdom, Orlando, Florida 22 min.
• Orangutan Medical Behavior Training,
Brookfield Zoo, Illinois 10 min.
• Stressless Research Monkey Capture,
Animal Welfare Institute 20 min.
• Enrichment at the Bronx Zoo Monkey
House, New York, New York 10 min.
• Primate Enrichment, Dallas Zoo, Texas
23 min.
• Primate Enrichment, Burnet Park Zoo,
New York 34 min.
• Primate Enrichment, Columbus Zoo,
Ohio 3 min.
• Bungee Jumping Monkeys, Philadelphia
Zoo, Pennsylvania 18 min.
• Three Observations of Callitrichids Using
an Artificial Gum Tree, The Lubee
Foundations, Inc., Gainesville, Florida
15 min.
CARNIVORE ENRICHMENT AND
TRAINING
• Carcass Feeding at Wildlife Safari,
Winston, Oregon 17 min.
• Carcass Feeding at Folsom City Zoo,
California 5 min.
• So Many Cats, Cincinnati Zoo, Ohio 4
min.
• Enrichment for Carnivores, Sunset Zoo,
Manhatten, Kansas 23 min.
• Carnivore Enrichment, Columbus Zoo,
Ohio 5 min.
• Carnivore Enrichment, Kolmarden Zoo,
Sweden 74 min.
• Cat Enrichment, Dallas Zoo, Texas 13
min.
• Tiger Enrichment, Disney’s Animal
• Felid TAG DAK Training, Disney’s
Animal Kingdom, Orlando, Florida
21 min.
• Bears with Boomer Balls, Boomer Ball
68 min.
• The Bear Necessities: Captive Enrichment
for Polar Bears, UFAW, U.K. 20 min.
• Building a Polar Bear Den at the Calgary
Zoo, Canada 75 min.
• Bear Exhibit Renovation, Woodland
Park Zoo, Seattle, Washington 17 min.
• Working For a Living, Folsom City Zoo,
California 13 min.
• Enrichment for Gray and Harbor Seals,
National Aquarium in Baltimore,
Maryland 6 min.
• Sea Otter Enrichment, Monterey Bay
Aquarium, California 5 min.
OTHER MAMMAL ENRICHMENT AND
TRAINING
• Fruit Bat Enrichment, The Lubee
Foundations, Inc., Gainesville, Florida
16 min.
• Olfactory Enrichment: Rodrigue’s Fling
Fox, The Lubee Foundations, Inc.,
Gainesville, Florida 4 min.
• Commercial Bat Enrichment, The Leather
Elves and The Lubee Foundations, Inc.,
• Carnivorous Cravings: Great Spear-Nosed
Fruit Bat, The Lubee Foundations, Inc.,
• Elephant Feeder Ball Introduction, San
Diego Wild Animal Park, California 12
min.
• Snow Fall for Elephants, San Diego Wild
Animal Park, California 6 min.
• Kansas City Giraffe and Rhino Enrichment
45 min.
• Rhino Training, Disney’s Animal
• Mission: Enrichment for Hoofed Stock,
Dallas Zoo, Texas 18 min.
• Kangaroo and Wallaby Enrichment at the
Philadelphia Zoo, Pennsylvania 5 min.
• Tree Kangaroo Pouch-Check Training,
Brookfield Zoo, Illinois 5 min.
• Marine Mammal Enrichment, National
Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland
BIRD ENRICHMENT AND TRAINING
• Positive Approach to Parrots as Pets. Tape
1: Understanding Bird Behavior; Tape 2:
Training through Positive Reinforcement,
Natural Encounters, Inc., Lakeville,
Minnesota 69 min. each tape
• Kings of the Wind, Natural Encounters,
Inc., Lakeville, Minnesota 38 min.
OTHER ANIMAL ENRICHMENT AND
TRAINING
• Octopus Enrichment at the Cleveland
Zoo, Ohio 6 min.
13
Editors:
Karen E. Worley
Valerie J. Hare
Editorial Advisor:
David Shepherdson, Ph.D.
Oregon Zoo, Oregon
Editorial Reviewers:
Mollie Bloomsmith, Ph.D.
Yerkes Primate Center, Georgia
Kathy Carlstead, Ph.D.
Honolulu Zoo, Hawaii
Amy Cutting, Ph.D.
Oregon Zoo, Oregon
Vicky Melfi, Ph.D.
Paignton Zoo, U.K.
Challenges Coordinator:
Else Poulsen
Video Library Coordinators:
Beth Rich
Yvette Kemp
Harald Schwammer
Cynthia Cipreste
Jo Walker
The Shape of Enrichment is dedicated to
sharing ideas, inspirations, and practical knowledge of enrichment strategies among those
working in the field of animal care. It is an open
forum for keepers, trainers, curators, researchers, exhibit designers, administrators, volunteers, and anyone else interested in approaches
to enrichment. All of our staff are volunteers.
We are always looking for new submissions,
from feature-length articles to short blurbs. We
accept submissions in any form, polished or not.
Let us, and your colleagues, hear from you!
THE SHAPE OF ENRICHMENT presents
enrichment ideas of all kinds from a variety of
sources. We urge you to consider, assess, and
evaluate any idea carefully before applying it
to your own animals and exhibits. If you have
concerns or opposing views, we are happy to
accept letters and articles that express them.
As the editors, we present these ideas for your
consideration only; we do not take responsibility for their effectiveness or feasibility.
THE SHAPE OF ENRICHMENT, ISSN 10888152, is published quarterly by the non-profit
The Shape of Enrichment, Inc. Subscriptions
are $18 per calendar year, payable in U.S. funds
only, drawn on a U.S. bank or by credit card on
www.enrichment.org. Domestic and foreign air
mail postage is included. Mid-year subscriptions are prorated. Back issues are available for
$5 each. Send all subscription requests, article
submissions, letters, comments, and questions
to 1650 Minden Dr., San Diego, CA 92111-7124.
Phone: (858) 279-4273. E-mail: [email protected].
Please share and photocopy any part of
this newsletter, as long as you credit the source,
its editors, and the authors. This publication is
NOT FOR RESALE.
Visit our website at www.enrichment.org!
14
Downloadable Subscriptions
The Shape of Enrichment now offers downloadable subscriptions. Subscribers to the downloadable version of The Shape of Enrichment will enjoy many
benefits:
• E-mail notification when each issue is published and ready to download —
no more waiting for the postal service!
• Store your issues on your hard drive — no more lost or torn issues!
• Print only what you need; re-print whenever you like
To take advantage of our downloadable subscriptions, you MUST be a registered user on our new website. To register, go to www.enrichment.org, click
on Register, and complete the form. Be sure to make a note of your user name
and password — you will need these when you log on! Also, if your contact
information changes — especially your e-mail — remember to update your
user account.
Complimentary subscriptions will only be downloadable; hard copies will no
longer be available. Hard copies of The Shape of Enrichment will still be available for purchase; but increased postage fees will be reflected in the cost of the
subscription and back issues.
Very soon, all The Shape of Enrichment back issues and some of the International
Conference on Environmental Enrichment (ICEE) Proceedings will also be
available through our Publication Download feature. Register now to be notified when these become available!
Contents: Volume 20 No. 3, 2011
Features
1
3
6
8
Having a Ball: Increasing Exploratory Behavior in
Pig-nosed Turtles
by Natalie Cook
Primate Enrichment in the Canopy, on the Ground, and Hidden Away
by Guy Waddilove
Olfactory Enrichment for Carnivores
by Juliana do Carmo Padiha, Eliana Ferraz Santos, and Eleonore Zulnara Freire Setz
Aardvarks Live to Dig and Eat: Give Them a Little Fun
by Miklos Faludi and Katalin Toth
by Althea Guinsberg
10 A Contest of Ideas: Enrichment at Lory Park Zoo
...And Then Some 12
Video Library 13

Having a Ball: Increasing Exploratory Behavior in Pig-nosed

Transcription

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