Enriching Animals' Lives at the Zoo

The first time I saw our 300-pound Amur tiger, Grom, jump straight into the air to catch a deer hide that was ziplining down his exhibit at warp speed, I was captivated. He leaped so high and moved so swiftly, it was unforgettable. Grom’s demonstration and his special “treat” were part of his daily enrichment.

Amur tiger, Grom, with a deer hide

At Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, we give our animals enrichment every day! It’s fun for guests to watch, but Animal Care Manager Dina Bredahl explains that enrichment is a vital part of our animals’ care.   

Enrichment is anything that stimulates the mind and body of an animal. Animals have to work hard to survive in the wild – many graze, browse, hunt or forage for food for many hours a day.  We use enrichment to ensure that our animals’ physical, psychological and social needs are met. This ensures their days are challenging and interesting, and it keeps them “on their toes,” much like they would in the wild.

African lion, Angie, with a hide and meat covered bone

How do we accomplish that? The answer is the fun part of enrichment! The sky is the limit, and our zookeepers’ knowledge about the animals they work with is key. There are several types of animal enrichment, which include food, sensory, novel objects, environmental and training – just to name a few.

For food enrichment, we often use special feeders that require tool use or manipulation in order to access it. This is more challenging, time consuming and rewarding for our animals, rather than simply putting the treat in a food bowl.  If we freeze pineapples and cantaloupes for the bears, it keeps them busy as they gnaw and dig at the treats.  All of the primates like bobbing for apples or other fruits. The otters get fresh oysters or clams to trigger their feeding instincts. 

Canadian moose, Tahoma, sparring with a tree hung in his exhibit

There are other ways to provide enrichment that do not involve food. An overfed animal is not a healthy animal! Scent enrichment is a great way to temporarily change an animal’s environment…the better the animal’s sense of smell, the more effective this is. Lemurs do a lot of scent marking in the wild, so they react to perfume sprayed on their trees. The wolves show a lot of interest in buck urine. And the lions love to roll in elephant poo – just like they would do in the wild.

We also “recycle” a lot of animal materials for other another animal’s enrichment. The primates enjoy playing with colorful bird feathers and the feline species will hunt down patches of goat hair or snake sheds hidden in their exhibit.

Chickens plucking at mini corncobs stuffed in a KONG toy

We monitor the behavior of our animals and continually change the enrichment they receive to best create an environment that is healthy, stimulating, safe and keeps them active.

Want to know what is enriching the animals at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo? Visit the Zoo and watch a keeper talk and animal demo. Get the full schedule here: http://cmzoo.org/guestInformation/planVisit/animalHappenings.asp