Lecture 9 - Environmental Enrichment

Question 1

What kind of challenges do animals face in nature?

Answer 1

-Hunt and consume food
-Seeking, competing and attracting sexual partners
-Avoiding predators
-Deal with changing environment

Question 2

How does life differ for an animal in captivity?

Answer 2

-Food is provided
-Partners selected
-No dangers, environment stable
-Protected against competitive interactions

Question 3

How can a lack of challenges cause welfare problems?

Answer 3

It will cause a low interest in the environment leading to behavioural problems

Question 4

Why is welfare important in zoos?

Answer 4

Individuals with abnormal behaviours:
-Not useful for conservation
-Not used for education
-Little use for research
-Unpleasant to see

Question 5

What is environmental enrichment?

Answer 5

Different procedures that modify physical or social environment of animals kept in captivity. Promotes quality of life and satisfies behavioural needs.

Question 6

Is meeting basic needs environmental enrichment?

Answer 6

NO

Question 7

What are the objectives of environmental enrichment?

Answer 7

-Reduce abnormal behaviours
-Stress reduction
-Increase use of space in enclosure
-Increase diversity of behaviour
-Give control over animals environment
-Give animals opportunity to make choices
-Increase ability to adapt to new situations
-Opportunities to perform behaviours similar to wild
-Reintroduction species programs

Question 8

What should enrichment be based on?

Answer 8

-Animals natural history
-Individual animal history

Question 9

What should enrichment include?

Answer 9

• Physical and social enrichment
• The role of handlers
• Diet

Question 10

What types of enrichment are there?

Answer 10

-Physical
-Sensory
-Cognitive
-Social
-Food

Question 11

What are some examples of physical enrichments?

Answer 11

-Refuges
-Permanent accessories (furniture)
-Temporary accessories (toys, ropes)
-Substrates (nesting)

Question 12

What are some examples of sensory enrichment?

Answer 12

-Visual (toys, movement)
-Auditive (noises, vocalization)
-Olfactory (prey natural smell)
-Tactile (Scratching material)
-Taste (palatable)

Question 13

What are some examples of cognitive enrichment to boost intellectual activity?

Answer 13

• Psychological (puzzles)
• Exercises

Question 14

What is social enrichment?

Answer 14

Interaction (same species or different species) that can be created within an enclosure

Question 15

What is food enrichment?

Answer 15

Variations in feeding, according to each species habits.

Question 16

What are some examples of food enrichment?

Answer 16

• Variations in the way food is offered (whole, hidden, frozen)
• Frequency (daily or not)
• Time (morning, afternoon, night)

Question 17

What are benefits of environmental enrichment?

Answer 17

-Increase animal welfare level
-Increase animal cognitive abilities
-Raising public education level
-Increase animal health level

Question 18

What is cognitive environmental enrichment?

Answer 18

Mechanical devices for handling

Question 19

What are disadvantages of environmental enrichment?

Answer 19

-Increases accident risk
-Expensive
-Time expensive for keepers and biologists
-Decreases welfare if done improperly
-Needs administration to maintain novelty of effect

Question 20

What safety concerns could there be with environmental enrichment?

Answer 20

• Should not contribute to animal escape, injuries, or hurts visitors
• Avoiding conflicts between animals by providing enough enrichment
• Non-toxic and easily disinfected materials

Question 21

What is the novelty character of an enrichment?

Answer 21

The length of time the enrichment is used so that the animals don’t get bored or overstimulated by it (habituation)

Question 22

What are some novelty effects of enrichment?

Answer 22

-Novelty exposure reduces fear
-Fear reduction is general for new things
-Increased level of visual stimulation
-Can cause habituation over time

Question 23

How can you help an animal not lose interest in an enrichment?

Answer 23

Use a stimulus closer to the natural life, or associated with positive reinforcement (food)

Question 24

What is important to remember when choosing an environmental enrichment?

Answer 24

Previous knowledge about the species

Question 25

How can we know if an environmental enrichment is improving welfare?

Answer 25

-Behavioural indicators
-Physiological behaviours
-Clinical evaluation

Question 26

What are behavioural indicators of welfare?

Answer 26

-Time spent in normal activities
-Social behaviour
-Reduction of social isolation
-Reduction of abnormal behaviours
-Greater use of enclosure
-Increase learning ability
-Increase playing behaviour

Question 27

What are physiological indicators of welfare?

Answer 27

• Cortisol levels
• Immunological response (leukocyte count)
• Heart rate

Question 28

What are clinical evaluation indicators of welfare?

Answer 28

-Corporal weight
-Disease
-Injuries

Question 29

Is training not environmental enrichment? Why?

Answer 29

Training is not enrichment. The goal of training is to reduce choice, especially in behaviour.
-Animals behaviour is under the trainer control, not under the animals control

Question 30

How can training increase animal welfare?

Answer 30

-Less stress with veterinary procedures
-Contact with humans can improve welfare in isolated animals
-Can make enrichment easier to carry out