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Placing unusual objects into an animal's exhibit can cause the
animal to display all kinds of natural behaviors ranging from
play to aggression. Paper mache piñatas with food hidden
inside, boomer balls for bouncing, a telephone book or box for
shredding and even kong toys and chew ropes (the kind you might
use at home for your pets), can all be lots of fun for animals.
On a recent enrichment weekend at the Zoo piñatas were
given to many of the animals, including the ermine. After some
initial hesitation, the ermine chewed open the piñata,
got inside of it, then curled up and refused to leave the exhibit,
even for food!
Another enrichment item that you might notice when you are visiting
the zoo is fir trees. Depending on the size of the animal, branches
or whole trees are put into the exhibit for the animals to investigate,
move around, and tear apart. Natural items are often provided
to help the animals perform necessary behaviours during natural
seasonal cycles. Placing branches in the moose and caribou exhibits
during rut, for example, helps the animals to shed the velvet
on their antlers.
Snowmen (even without meatballs) are popular with many of the
animals. The bison love to bash theirs, but the gibbons aren't
really sure what to do when snow shows up in their enclosure.
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| A
puma sizes up a piñata made by a school class. |
 A
tiger pounces on a camel-hide mannequin.
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A
wolverine enjoys a fir tree branch. |
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