The Indianapolis Zoo recently renovated their "Encounters" area with three walk through aviaries. When I was an Enrichment Intern there however, that area was full of ponies, cows, pigs, rabbits and goats. During the summer ice treats were a big hit with these animals.
 |
We made sure that there was at least one ice treat for every animal in the enclosure to cut-down on aggression.
 |
| Ice treats had water, mollasses and various produce (typicaly carrote and apple) |
|
 |
| We used two liter soda bottles with the tops cut off to form the treats. These containers could be cleaned and re-used (eco-friendly!) |
The pigs were possibly my favorite animal in the Encounters area to enrich. The younger pig (its been so long I can't remember his name!) loved to tear open empty grain bags (the ones WITHOUT the plastic liner) and root through hay/straw to find hidden gems (treats). The older pig (I can't remember her name either) enjoyed fishing grapes out of her water tub.
Other enrichment items used in this area include boomer balls of various sizes, large barrels and logs.
 |
| Is this how you do it? |
 |
| The donkeys enjoyed stripping the bark off of logs. |
No comments:
Post a Comment