Enrichment – it’s NOT just toys and feeders, it IS just good husbandry.
Enrichment is a dynamic process for enhancing animal environments within the context of the animals behavioral biology and natural history. Environmental changes are made with the goal of increasing the animal’s behavioral choices and drawing out their species-appropriate behaviors, thus enhancing animal welfare.
—1999 AZA Behavior Scientific Advisory Group
Here is a video of a Spider Monkey who is experiencing a tire swing for the first time! As you
watch the video, notice how she exhibits natural species-specific behaviors – climbing, reaching, using her prehensile tail as an additional arm. What other behaviors do you notice?
This is a fantastic example of enrichment that is serving the animal in the best way.
“Enrichment may be the most important advancement in captive animal welfare in recent times. Enrichment strategies have greatly improved the psychological and physiological well-being of many captive animals.”
– Steve Martin President of Natural Encounters, Inc
