Blog Archive

Zookeepers use various methods to enrich the lives of the animals in their care.  These enrichment items can vary from scatter feeds, scent trails or markings to novel items such as balls or boxes, and helps alleviate boredom or stereotypic behavior, encourages natural behavior and often just challenges the animal with something ‘new’ to deal with.

We recently had some huge pumpkins donated to the zoo. We drilled some small holes into them to insert treats of peanuts, sultanas and runny honey.  They were so large that two people were needed to place them on exhibit! The bears were brought in off exhibit after lunch while we placed the pumpkin in their exhibit, and were then given access again.

The results were amazing; the bears ripped them apart, rolled them around and generally had a fantastic time – check out the photos of Akbar and Manji enjoying  the great pumpkin play time!

Gayl
Senior Keeper, Adelaide Zoo