Wednesday, November 9, 2011

San Francisco Zoo Hosting an Enrichment Lecture - That's Rich!

note to zoo, its green but its not grass!
(yes i can read wishy's mind :)

The San Francisco Zoo hosting a Lecture on Animal Enrichment is to me a curious thing. Don't get me wrong, the Keeper's do all they can within the guidelines dictated to them by Zoo Management. There is always more that can be done, but their hands are often tied.

The topic of Enrichment is very close to me, as I became involved in making Enrichment toys for the Big Cats and on occasion the Bears. My involvement started out of my love of seeing the Animals having fun. My favorite Zoo visits have always been the Halloween events when the Animals would get Pumpkins and other Halloween themed toys. Also there was a time, when Members Mornings were actual events (and not just letting Members in an hour earlier), when one species was highlighted and their Birthdays were celebrated. Those fun times (and Birthday celebrations) ceased when they fired the gal who was in charge of the fun.

Once I started visiting more often, and learning about the Animals more, including Enrichment, I asked if I could make some items for the Lions upcoming Birthday. From then on for most of 2010 my friend Lee and I made toys every Saturday. It brought priceless joy to us, the Keepers, the Visitors and most important, the Animals. The Cats had a great regular Enrichment that their Keeper considered necessary. That ceased when the Carnivore Curator decided the Animals "Didn't need that kind of Enrichment" and was "Not interested in celebrating Birthdays". These are quotes she point blank told me.

I could go on about this and will in another blog post I've been working on. The point of this post is to note, that there are many different kinds of Enrichment. You can learn alot about it online and thru video's on youtube. What I've learned is its anything that brings a change and/ or challenge to a captive animals daily routine. It can range from something that stimulates their natural instincts to something fun to an environment change. The later encompasses the whole goal of this blog.

The Big Cat Keeper rotates the Cats between four outside yards. It gives them environment Enrichment. They get a change of scenery, they get to sniff out the other Cats scents, ect. She does this at least twice a day if not more often.

I have long had a problem with the Bear situation, which I've detailed in other posts. So, I won't repeat myself. I will just make this one statement.

GIVING WISHBONE GRASS WOULD BE THE ULTIMATE ENRICHMENT!!!



from the sfzoo website:

Lecture: Animal Enrichment Today!

15-Nov-2011 - 15-Nov-2011

Please join us for a Free Lecture on:

Animal Enrichment Today!

with Dr. David Shepherdson,
Deputy Conservation Manager
and Conservation Scientist at the Oregon Zoo

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011
Presentation: 3:00 P.M.
Osher Great Hall of the Lurie Education Center
San Francisco Zoo

Please join us as Dr. David Shepherdson, a widely published expert on animal behavior and Deputy Conservation Division Manager and Conservation Scientist at the Oregon Zoo, discusses animal enrichment. Dr. Shepherdson is a founding member of the AZA's Animal Welfare Committee, a board member of “Shape of Enrichment”, and member of the International Conference on Environmental Enrichment (ICEE) conference committee. He also co-authored the definitive text on the subject, Second Nature: Environmental Enrichment for Zoo Animals, used by zoos worldwide. Come hear his fascinating experiences pioneering the animal enrichment field!


UPDATE 12.8.11

Please view the video on the last post projectgetwishbonegrass.blogspot.com

If you support this crusade, please email San Francisco Zoo Director Tanya Peterson - tanyap@sfzoo.org

Thank you!

No comments:

Post a Comment