Tiger Enrichment

At CMZ it is our number one job to ensure our animals constantly receive the best care possible and they have happy, healthy lives! 

A big part of this quality care is providing them with an environment that is dynamic and provides daily opportunities and choices for the animals to use their senses and adaptations.  One of the ways we provide those opportunities is through enrichment.

Enrichment is anything that we (animal care staff) can provide that enhances our animals’ environments at the zoo with the goal of drawing out species appropriate behavior.  Just like all the other animals at CMZ, the tigers get enrichment at least once a day.  They are offered a very wide variety of different enrichment items from perfume to boxes to special food items.  They receive something different every day and we try not to repeat enrichment items more than once a month to keep it exciting and novel. 

In the wild, a tiger would spend many hours each day seeking out, hunting and eventually eating their prey.  Because of this, a lot of the tiger’s favorite enrichment items involving food.  We offer food enrichment in a variety of ways: hiding it throughout the enclosure, putting it inside something they have to tear apart or even freezing it into ice treats.  All of these activities encourage the cats to use their adaptations like sense of smell or physical strength to “catch their prey”.  Some of their other favorite types of enrichment are large plastic toys, large boxes they can tear apart and scents, like perfume and spices, sprayed throughout their enclosure.  Providing them with a large variety of enrichment items on a daily basis is a very important part of keeping our tigers active and engaged here at the zoo!!