How to Develop a Zoo-Based Environmental Enrichment Program: Incorporating Environmental Enrichment into Exhibits

Cipreste, C; de Azevedo, C; Young, R.J

Abstract

Research, conservation, leisure, and education are the main
goals of zoos. To achieve these aims, zoos need to maintain
a high level of animal welfare. One action undertaken to improve the psychological aspects of the captive animal’s life
has been the abandonment of “hard” architecture (enclosures with iron bars and concrete walls and fl oors) and the
adoption of “naturalistic” architecture (exhibits that imitate
the appearance of animals’ natural environments) (Hagenbeck ; see also Hancocks, chap. , this volume), but this
approach, too, can be criticized, since “green spaces are not
always enough” (Coe , ). Studies have shown that
captive animals can be stressed and perform abnormal behaviors in large naturalistic enclosures (Carlstead et al. ;
Stoinski, Hoff , and Maple ; Young ).
Environmental enrichment, as stated by Shepherdson,
Mellen, and Hutchins in their book Second Nature (),
is a principle of animal husbandry that enhances the quality of captive animals’ lives by identifying and providing the
environmental stimuli necessary for optimal psychological
and physiological well- being. Many studies have confi rmed
the welfare benefi ts of environmental enrichment for captive
animals (for a review, see Young ; see also Shepherdson,
chap. , this volume).
Environmental enrichment can be built into animal exhibits in the form of structures that the animals can use, such
as undulating terrain and elevated resting sites (Tudge ;
Mallapur ), or in the form of enrichment devices, which
provoke or allow animals to express species- specifi c behavior
patterns (Chamove and Anderson ; Evans ; Young
; Vick, Anderson, and Young ; Grindrod and Cleaver
). Environmental enrichment benefi ts should transcend
their costs and be a useful tool in improving animal welfare.
However, enrichment needs to be well planned to achieve
its goals; otherwise it can be more damaging than benefi cial
(Baer ).
In this chapter, we will outline the necessary steps for the
creation and establishment of an environmental enrichment
program for zoos and the steps to incorporate environmental
enrichment into exhibits; with a few adjustments, laboratories, farms, and other institutions that hold captive animals
could also use these guidelines to create their own environmental enrichment programs. An overview of the process
necessary to implement a

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: 2010-01
• Deposit Date: Jun 2, 2023
• Journal: Wild Mammals in Captivity: Principles and Techniques for Zoo Management
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Related Public URLs: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236896435_How_to_Develop_a_Zoo-Based_Environmental_Enrichment_Program_Incorporating_Environmental_Enrichment_into_Exhibits