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Zoos are fun to visit, but you have to wonder, are the animals, like Beardsley Zoo's Siberian tiger, Robeki, bored? Luckily, modern zoos are on it. They have enlightened programs to ensure their denizens of all sizes won't get the blues. They're called "enrichment," and they help zoo animals stay stimulated and engaged.
According to The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, "Environmental enrichment is the process of providing stimulating environments for zoo animals in order for them to demonstrate their species-typical behavior, to allow them to exercise control or choice over their environment, and to enhance their well-being."
People can get an idea of what Beardsley Zoo does to keep its animals balanced and engaged when it holds Animal Enrichment Day, on August 7 from noon to 3 p.m. Demonstrations and displays show how zoo keepers use sensory, mobility and dietary techniques to promote natural behaviors such as scent marking, climbing and foraging.
How animals are fed is one way they mix it up. Something called a puzzle feeder is hidden or placed around the animal's enclosure, or buried in the landscape's stone. To get its food, the animal has to use its natural foraging behaviors to solve the puzzle of where the food is, and then how to get to it. Beardsley's Animal Enrichment Day will highlight the many strategies it uses to keep its animals doing what comes naturally. Admission is $9-$11. For more information, visit the zoo's website.
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