Elephant enrichment

All morning, these two Asian elephants at the Buttonwood Park Zoo had been behind the metal door, knocking on it with their trunks, pacing back and forth inside, desperate to know what all the commotion was outside in their habitat. And now they could see what all the fuss was about. There were all these new things in their home, all these funny objects, all these… toys! A MassArt class asked students to understand the mind of an elephant, and design things for them to play with.

Essentially like a booma ball for a dog, this enrichment toy is just scaled up to elephant size! Treats go inside and they use their trunks to rotate the ball and get them to fall out the holes!

- By Stacey Ludlum, director of zoo and aquarium planning and design Below is the second of three installments of a recent research report. “Enriching the Visitor Experience: PGAV Destinations and Environmental Design” clearly defines and gives examples of what enrichment is today; how exceptionally well-designed enrichment can greatly benefit the visitor experience;

For this article, I have decided to go in-depth into what I think a great enrichment program for zoos and aquariums should look like.

May 2009

Zebra was part of the zoo's animal enrichment program, which aims to stimulate natural behaviors.

The San Diego Zoo hosted a fun-filled birthday party for its guests, during the opening weekend of its annual Play Days event. Guests touring the Harry and Grace Steele Elephant Odyssey between noon and 1:30 p.m. today (Saturday, March 19) were part of the celebration, which featured face painting, a cakewalk and party favors. The party’s guests of honor were the elephants, which were given special enrichment items and were the hit of the party. A specialty wreath made of stripped branches…