Zoo animals and those visiting them Wednesday were able to participate in “Enrichment Day”, an event designed to showcase the work keepers do to keep the residents healthy and entertained.
For the 24-year-old Komodo Dragon Gorgon lazing in her pen, enrichment looks like a switch in her bedding or having to hunt for her food, according to reptile keeper Nate Stewart.
“It is to provide different forms of stimulation," he said. "It keeps them active whether mentally or physically.”
But for orangutans, enrichment involves keepers throwing sunflower seeds down through their enclosure to the water on the floor.
"We do all kinds of different stuff for these guys to keep them active and busy," Indonesian Rain Forest keeper Angie Selzer told the crowd. "What do you think they use those long arms for? You can see them swinging and climbing."
The enclosure, made to resemble their Sumatran homes, is strung with vines and as the seeds flutter down, the organutans wake up. They swing down toward the floor, hanging upside down by their toes and fishing the snack out of the water.
While Wednedsay allowed the general public to have a view into how the zoo staff enhance the experience of the animals, enrichment is required by federal authorities and occurs more frequently, sometimes twice a day.
Angie Selzer is a keeper in the Indonesian Rain Forest and she explains why.
“Our enrichment program is really based on a goal objective. We try to elicit a lot of behaviors that you would see in the wild, that you would see naturally in the rainforest.”
