THE SHAPE OF ENRICHMENT Volume 10, No. 4 November 20018

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ince 1997, when the first part of this articlewas published (The Shape of Enrichment, Vol.

6, No. 4), the Phoenix Zoo keepers have inventedmore enrichment techniques, keeping our motto

“behavioral enrich-ment at no cost.” As Imentioned in theprevious article, thePhoenix Zoo is a non-profit, non-taxsupported organiza-tion, which means wehave to be especiallycareful of how thebudget is spent. Ourkeepers work veryhard every day tocome up with new

ideas to help maintain our animals’ welfare. Wefeel it’s always beneficial to add to the originalones. Some of these enrichment techniques areolder ideas applied with additional species, butmost are new ideas at our facility.

Rocks: We discovered our Hamadryas baboons(Papio hamadryas) and mandrills (Mandrillus

sphinx) like to gatherrocks. They hold themin their cheek pads forhours, storing them orchewing on them. Themale Hamadryasbaboon plays hockeywith the rocks insideof his concrete nighthouse, first hittingthem and thenrunning after them.Some of the birds, likethe hill mynahs

(Gracula religiosa), the raven (Corvus corax), andtroupials (Icterus icterus) are given pebbles thatthey move from one basket to another. We haven'thad any problems with the animals ingesting therocks.

Christmas Trees: Annually after the holidays areover, we receive donations of used and leftover

Christmas trees. The bighorn sheep (Oviscanadensis) and Nubian ibex sheep (Capra Ibexnubiana) strip the trees bare. Our big cats, Ha-madryas baboons, and mandrills investigate andrip the trees to shreds. In fact, every animal wehave given trees to has shown some interest inthem. As an added bonus, the tree remnants aremulched for use on the zoo grounds.

Fire hoses: Fire hoses are very practical to makehammocks. The spectacled bears (Tremarctosornatus) and the black howler monkeys (Alouttacaraya) enjoy them every day.

Pumpkins: Pumpkins are always a great attrac-tion and are given in small amounts to avoiddiarrhea. We receive pumpkins after Halloweenfrom neighboring pumpkin farms. Our primatesbite and break them to get to the seeds inside. Thebig cats play with them like balls and when thepumpkins break they will eat some of the con-tents. The meerkats crawl inside of them and tryto work their way out.

Bowling Balls: Balls that are no longer of use tobowling alleys are donated for play items formany of our species, such as cheetahs, lions,tigers, rhinoceroses, and primates. When usingbowling balls for the primates, we always chainthe ball to something, usually the ceiling, so theycan sit on it or just swing it around. We've beenusing these successfully for 14 years so far, withno injuries.

Mirrors: Mirrors are used frequently at our zoo.We hold the mirrors up to the animals or placethem outside their cages just out of reach. Theprimates especially enjoy them and it is interest-ing to the keepers to note their reactions—tryingto interact with the monkeys on "the other side,"or in the case of the apes, making faces or check-ing their teeth or their eyes.

Shoes and Boots: Old shoes and boots are greatenrichment tools when hung by bungee cords forthe giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla). Weremove all the strings and fill them with orangesor crickets. The anteaters enjoy getting the objects

Providing Enrichment at No Cost, Part IIBy Hilda Tresz, Arizona Trail Keeper, The Phoenix Zoo, Arizona

S

Pam

New

ton

Pam

New

ton

Mandrills break

apart a

pumpkin to get

the seeds.

A Jersey steer

plays with a

plastic barrel.

out of them or just smelling the scent of the lastoccupant.

Steel Shot Puts: We had eight pound, stainlesssteel shot puts donated by local high schools.

When we had Asiansmall-clawed otters(Aonyx cinera), wetried putting them intheir exhibit but it wasnot successful becauseof the location of thedrain in the otterpond. However, shotputs may work well atother zoos with otters.

Golf Balls: We have agolf course right nextto our zoo so when the

balls land on our side of the fence, we collectthem and give them to our animals. The birds likethem even better if they are colored, especiallytoucanets (Selenidea maculirostris), green aracaris(Preroglossus viridis), and king vultures(Sarcorhamphus papa). We also use them with

some smallmammals, likethe meerkats(Suricatesuricatta). Thebirds like topick them upand throwthem up in theair and catchthem. Themeerkats rollthem between

their legs for a long time, or if the balls have beenwith other animals and have their scent, themeerkats sometimes attack them. We have neverbeen concerned about any possible toxicity of golfballs because we never give them to any animalsbig or strong enough to break them open.

Catnip and Cat Mint: Most of the keepers arefamiliar with using catnip (Nepeta cataria), but it isnot well known that you can use cat mint (Nepetafasinil) as well. It has the same effect on theanimals and provides some variety. Our coatis sat

down and worked the cat mint for ten minuteswith their front paws, rubbing it on their tails andflank areas.

Palm Frond Piñatas: For our Bornean orangutans(Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus) we make piñatas bytearing the leaves down to the stems and braid-ing them back together with their food hiddeninside.

Small Live Fish: We have many different kindsof fish in our streams and lakes, includingmosquito fish (Gambusia affinis affinis), blue gill(Lepomis cyanellus), large mouth bass (Micropterossalmoides), and small mouth bass (Micropterosdolomieu). If we get lucky enough to catch them,we will give them to the matamata turtles(Chekus fimbriatus), Sumatran tigers (Pantheratigris sumatrae), and several water birds like theCape thick-knees (Burhinus capensis), boat-billedherons (Cochlearus cochlearus), roseate spoonbills(Arabia agama), and scarlet ibis (Audacious rubber).

Frozen Palm Stalks or Diet: When summerarrives, we start to freeze the animals’ food andserve it frozen. We do this with fruits, vegetables,and blood. It is also useful to freeze palm stalks,which the orangutans and the spectacled bearsseem to enjoy very much. We also freeze mice,Gatorade, raisins, oranges, and grapes.

Wooden Chunk Chew Toys: Chunk chew toysare very easy to make from bits of wood andleftover ropes or leather straps. We use them forthe birds, mainly hyacinth macaws(Anodorhychus hyacinthinus), Cuban amazons(Amazona leucocephala leucocephala), and kingvultures (Sarcorhamphus papa).

Bark: We have noticed that our coatimundis(Nascua narica) frequently carry bark inside thenight house and make nests out of it. Even if thebark pieces are hard and stiff, they still prefer tosleep on them.

Plastic Barrels and Used Tires: We get emptybarrels from our commissary and tires from ourmechanic shop. After we carefully disinfect themthey make excellent toys for the bigger animals,like the Asian elephants or our Jersey steer. ✧

THE SHAPE OF ENRICHMENT Volume 10, No. 4 November 2001 9

t f J Z P V i x S E I m v G j Q K U T g o L w t f J Z P rPa

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A young

orangutan peels

a papier mache

watermelon

slice.

A mountain lion

eagerly carries

off an icecicle

containing a

bone and a rat.