Animal Diaries Archive

Enrichment

7 January 2005

Here in the mammals department a good part of our day involves giving enrichment to our gorgeous animals. It is not uncommon for our visitors to see the keepers walking through the Zoo with all sorts of contraptions.

We believe that it is as important as any other aspect in keeping our animals fit and healthy. All of our animals get the chance and the choice to participate in various activities throughout the day, from tearing their way through a food parcel to playing with a giant soccerball.

It is by far the most enjoyable part of the day for the animals, the keepers, as well as the guests! People love to see our animals ripping into things and just having a plain old good time.

At the Zoo we are also lucky enough to offer our wombats, devils and possums the best form of enrichment possible - WALK TIME! We are able to put harnesses on them and take them outside of their enclosures for walks around the Zoo. Can you imagine how many smells go through the Zoo in one day? The wombats, devils and possums are able to take this all in and work out just who and what has been going on around the place.

It is a wonderful feeling being able to bring all sorts of activities and sensations to our animal's lives – different sights, sounds and smells. So next time you are at Australia Zoo keep an eye out for our walking kiddy ponds (one of our enrichment items) and you may be able to see the keepers and animals enjoy a bit of play time.