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Enrichment and training are closely linked. In both cases, once
the animals figure out that a game or behavior leads to a reward
(in the form of food or fun) they are enriched by the mental stimulation
of playing the "game" and the feeling of being in conrol
of their environment.
This kind of training/enrichment feedback loop is very important
at the Zoo. The sunbears, for example, have been trained to exhibit
a number of behaviors on command in exchange for one of their
very favorite things - Gatorade! The behaviors, things like putting
front or back paws up against the bars of the sun bear enclosure,
allow the zoo keepers and vets to examine and care for the sun
bears without using procedures that are more invasive and sometimes
dangerous. If, for example, a sun bear has a wound on its paw,
the "paws" command can allow the vet to examine and
treat the injury without having to sedate the bear.
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