Jane Goodall Instagram – 🤔 What is “animal enrichment?” 💭
🐵🌿 You may see us use this term in some of our posts about JGI’s Tchimpounga sanctuary, or in descriptions of animal welfare projects that our @rootsandshoots groups are working on!
When we play games or solve puzzles, we are exercising different parts of our brains and bodies. It’s the same for other animals! In captivity, animals may not have access to the same stimulating activities as they would in the wild. Enrichment activities provide an outlet for an animal’s natural behaviors without the pressure of survival. Here are some examples of enrichment:
🧩 Food puzzles encourage creative problem-solving
🍂 High substrate (dirt, wood shavings, etc.) allows for burrowing
👃 Spraying new scents around a habitat helps them practice sniffing for other animals, like predators or prey
🎃 Pumpkins’ tough exterior poses a physical challenge to carnivores and herbivores alike
🎾 Even playing fetch with your pup or using a laser pointer with your cat helps them practice hunting behaviors without hurting local wildlife
In the case that wildlife will be released after rehabilitation, enrichment activities help ensure that the animal’s senses and survival skills are kept sharp for when they return to their native home.
🦭 In these photos from last year’s #RSYCSummit, staff from @nationalmarinelifecenter taught our youth leaders how to put together two key enrichment items for their seals in rehabilitation — feeder balls and floating hammocks!
📸 credit: JGI/LJ Garcia
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#JaneGoodall #RootsAndShoots #RSYouthCouncil #AnimalEnrichment #CaptiveAnimalWelfare #AnimalWelfare #Wildlife #WildlifeRehabilitation #JaneGoodallInstitute #Chimpanzees #Conservation #Nonprofit #ChimpanzeeConservation #Interconnected #CommunityLedConservation #CommunityConservation #Wildlife #AfricanWildlife #Tacare | Posted on 11/Sep/2024 01:30:52
