KIDS FOR CONSERVATION
Share the Fun:
ANIMAL
ENRICHMENT
This time of the year, we like to
think about sharing, giving and
caring for others. We create or buy
gifts for those we care about and
spend time with our family and
friends. We get to share new toys,
play games and do something dif-
ferent with our families like ice skat-
ing, hiking or even visiting the Zoo!
Louisville Zoo keepers live in the
spirit of the season all year long
— they love to do special things
for their “animal family.” Keep-
ers spend every day thinking of
unconventional ways to enrich the
lives of the animals in their care.
When you visit the Zoo, you are
likely to see many animals interact-
ing with keeper gifts like cardboard
tubes, ropes or balls. Some animals
enjoy experiencing different smells
and hunting for hidden or moving
treats. For example,
our meerkats like to
chase and eat crick-
ets tossed to them
by their keepers. It’s
fun for the animals
and adds variety to
their day.
These interac-
tions are called
“enrichment,”
which simply means
we provide animals with a new
activity or exciting item to play with
to enrich their lives. Enrichment
keeps our animals active, thinking
and learning; it also encourages
their natural behaviors. With a
little creativity and time, even the
simplest everyday items can provide
a new activity that will keep animals
engaged for hours!
16 • Louisville Zoo Trunkline • Winter 2016
So, what do some of the animals
in our care enjoy most for enrich-
ment? We asked several keepers to
weigh in.
Dawn Bartley, Islands keeper:
"Orangutan Bella enjoys soaking in
tubs of warm water, and Orangutan
Teak often entertains himself by
creating ropes using small pieces of
pinched off wood wool material."
Drew Koch, Giraffe keeper:
"Molly the warthog likes paper
bags and boxes filled with fun food
items like fruit, nuts and grains. Our
giraffes love to munch on freshly
trimmed leafy branches from trees
at the Zoo."
Will Bird and Derick McNair,
HerpAquarium keepers: "For some
seasonal fun during our Halloween
party, we carve tunnels and holes
in little pumpkins for the Madagas-
car hissing cockroaches to scurry
through, eat and explore."
Emily Nolan, Valley keeper: "The
big cats like our tigers and lions
enjoy walking around and sniff-
ing different, unusual scents of
perfumes and extracts. They also
like to explore and play with boxes
— especially ones that have scents
from other Zoo animals!"