Better Home for Pheasants Through Environmental Enrichment

A Quarterly Source of Ideas for Enrichment Better Home for Pheasants through Environmental Enrichment By R Lakshminarasimha, Assistant Curator, and Vijay Ranjan Singh, Executive Director, Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, Mysore, India

t the Mysore Zoo, one of our objectives is to Most of the pheasants are fairly or completely Aprovide the best possible home for the ani- sedentary, they use the same habitat throughout mals. For several of the exotic species of pheas- the year, and they do not use separate areas for ants housed different activities, such as nesting or feeding. here, like They mainly occur in forested and semi-forested golden pheas- habitats, both in temperate and tropical areas. ant (Chryso- The daily routine of pheasants follows a simple lophus pictus), pattern that involves feeding following emer- green pheas- gence from roost, resting during mid-day, and a ant (Phasianus late afternoon feeding before retreating to their versicolor), shelter. silver pheasant (Lophura PRE-ENRICHMENT OBSERVATIONS: What nycthemera), was the environment earlier? Chinese Pheasants at the Mysore Zoo were housed in

Silver pheasant ringed-necked enclosures made of chain-link mesh with dimen- (Lophura pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), and Lady Am- sions 24 ft. long × 15 ft. wide × 14 ft. in height nycthemera) herst’s pheasant (Chrysolophus amherstiae), we and a ground covering of soil. Wooden logs were noticed that the animals were not active and being used as perches and roosting grounds, their enclo- which resulted in an increase in the rodent popu- sures failed lation inside the enclosure as they used them as to provide refuge. Rodents would consume the feed placed them with in the enclosure for the pheasants and defecate the necessary inside the enclosure, resulting in various health stimuli for problems, and destroy the eggs laid inside the the display enclosure. Small concrete arches were construct- Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens of natural be- ed inside the enclosures to offer the pheasants haviors. Also, a hideout from the public and also served as a stereotypic shelter during the monsoon (Figure 1). behaviors In an attempt to increase the well-being of like pecking our pheasants and simultaneously to enrich their Figure 1: among adja- enclosures, the following measures and modifi- Concrete arch cently housed pheasants, meager use of enclo- cations were implemented. These changes were shelter sure space, and poor breeding were observed. intended to increase the foraging activity and re-

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duce the display of stereotypic behaviors. We also addition to coffee stumps, Casuarina and Euca- aimed to increase their use of enclosure space by lyptus poles were also used as perches at higher providing more perching grounds, nesting sites, elevations inside the enclosure. and hideouts. Bamboo mats were tied to the mesh partitions We also hoped between enclosures to a height of four feet. These that the ad- mats served as visual barriers among adjacently ministration housed pheasants (Figure 2). Bamboo grasses of enrichment were planted inside the enclosure and along the would help side walls of the enclosure, intended to provide improve the privacy and at the same time offer areas of con- Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens breeding cealment for the pheasants. success in Wooden platforms measuring 4ft. long × 3ft. our pheasant wide were placed inside the enclosure at a height Figure 2: population. of about two feet from the ground. The platforms Bamboo mats Various aspects were considered during the were covered from the top and on the two sides as visual barriers. design and the implementation of the enrichment and were positioned at the farther end of the plans for these exotic species of pheasants. enclosure, away from the viewing areas (Figure HABITAT: Species-appropriate 3). These served as nesting sites and also offered habitat, complexity of the habitat, privacy to the pheasants. The platforms were usable enclosure space, hideouts, covered with hay, which served as nesting mate- and nesting sites rial. Multiple platforms were provided at various BEHAVIOR: Social and reproduc- heights so that the birds get an opportunity to tive choose their preferred nesting site. FEEDING: Feeding habits, forag- Pheasants are exclusively terrestrial birds and ing activity, presentation of food need dry sandy areas to dust bathe; an activity and diet. for feather maintenance that soaks up excess In order to achieve the desired moisture and removes parasites that infest the enrichment objectives, the inclu- feathers. The enclosure was covered halfway sion of more enclosure furniture, through using metal sheets to a height of seven provision of multiple nesting feet to prevent dampness inside the enclosure Chinese sites, appropriate social pairing, and changes in during the rains. Areas with dry and loose soil ringed-necked the feeding schedules were planned. mixed with small amounts of ash were also pro- pheasant vided for the pheasants to dust bathe. (Phasianus CHANGES IMPLEMENTED: What was done to colchicus) enrich the environment? Feeding enrichment Habitat en- Our primary intentions before designing feed- richment ing enrichment for pheasants was to increase the Wooden logs activity among the birds, encourage the use of were re- more enclosure space, and change their diet and moved from feeding regimes to match natural conditions. Leaf the enclosure litter was scattered on the enclosure floor and and coffee food grains were dispersed among the litter. A

Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens tree branches portion inside the enclosure was used to cultivate were used grains and cereals. A mesh guard was used to as perches. protect the seedlings from the pheasants (Figure 4). This also ensures that pheasants have ac- Figure 3: These ranged Covered in height from six to eight feet, and also provided cess to seedlings only when they are sufficiently wooden multiple levels of perching areas. These also grown. Fish meal, liver function enhancers, and platforms for served as roosting grounds during the night. In vitamin supplements were included in the diet. nesting.

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Live insects like termites were also included in in pheasants laying eggs anywhere in the enclo- their diet and these were offered on a regular ba- sure, and the eggs were frequently abandoned. sis. This served as a protein supplement and also Post-enrichment, pheasants have been found mimics their using the wooden platforms in preference to the natural ground where they used to lay eggs, and they environment have also been observed incubating the eggs. The where they provision of wooden platforms offered them the forage for much needed and preferred nesting sites as well insects, thus as privacy. And the shelter and provision of dry arousing their areas has encouraged them to dust bathe more Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens interest in frequently (Figure 4). feeding and The use of leaf litter and the dispersal of food also increas- grains among the litter have resulted in a sub- ing their stantial increase in the foraging activity. It has activity. also encouraged the use of more enclosure space. Figure 3: Mesh- The cultivation of the grains and cereals inside covered grains BEHAVIOR POST-ENRICHMENT: How did the enclosure also improved foraging time and growing in exhibit. the enrichment work? also adds necessary nutrients in their natural and The use of coffee tree freshest state. The addition of live insects to their branches as perches and diet increased their protein intake and simultane- roosting ground has helped ously offered them the necessary stimuli mimick- in two ways: one, it has ing their natural environment and promoted the resulted in a significant display of natural behaviors. reduction in the number of Following the administration of enrichment rodents inside the enclo- to the pheasant exhibits, significant changes have sure, and second, it has been observed in the animals’ activity budget. added to the aesthetic ap- There have been notable changes with respect to pearance of the enclosure. the use of enclosure space by the pheasants and Pheasants were observed also a reduced display of stereotypic behaviors. using the wooden poles The changes in feeding regimes have resulted in Golden pheasant and tree branches to roost increased foraging activity and the changes in (Chrysolophus during dusk. The use of bamboo mats for the en- the diet have resulted in a significant increase in pictus) closure separation wall has resulted in a reduced the fertility rate to 52%, compared to 18% in the display of ste- previous breeding season. G reotypic pecking behavior among adjacently housed pheasants, and the

Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens planting of bamboo grass inside the enclosure has provided the pheasants Figure 4: Dry with a suf- areas for dust ficient number of hiding areas. bathing. Lack of suitable nesting grounds had resulted

The Shape of Enrichment Volume 18, No. 4 November 2009 3 t f J Z P V i x S E I m v G j Q K U T g o L w t f J Z P r Importance of Environmental Enrichment for Guanacos By M. Florencia Presa, Head of Environmental Enrichment, Bioparque Temaiken and F. Astrada, D. Avejera, and E. Martinez, Zookeepers, Bioparque Temaiken

he guanaco (Lama guanicoe) is an extremely • Pinecones with fruit spread between the Tinquisitive animal with good sight, smell scales and hearing. Exclusively an herbivore, its diet • Different fruits hidden between mounds of consists of herbs and the browsing from shrubs bark and trees. Feeding takes up much of their time in the The most effective enrichment was the vegeta- wild. However, animals in tion hanging from trees. The guanacos were able captivity do not search for to express typical feeding behavior such as rumi- Bioparque Temaiken their food or masticate and nation and foraging. We also observed that when ruminate to the extent of the guanacos pulled off a branch, they would wild animals. As a result, rush away from the group. They made use of this they do not develop typi- enrichment all day long, thus increasing the time cal feeding behaviors and spent feeding. exhibit abnormal behav- The food hanging from the trees stimulated iors, such as trunk licking, the animals to jump and reach for it and in- mastication without food, creased their physical activity. The manipulation coiling the tongue, etc. of different feeding devices encouraged the guan- To reduce undesirable acos to search and explore. We suggest the use behaviors, we wanted to of more than one feeding device of each type per stimulate exploratory behav- individual, since in our experience the guanacos ior, rumination and foraging competed with each other over their use. We feel for our guanacos and increase that the results of this study show that environ- the time they spent feeding. mental enrichment increases the development of A scan sampling method was typical feeding behavior in this species. G implemented for 30 minutes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and was used to assess nine guanacos housed at Bioparque Temaiken. We applied environmental enrichment techniques through the placement of objects at different heights and locations within the exhibit: • Plastic ball with food inside (fruits and items from the diet) White= • Vegetation (Phyllosta- enrichment chis aurea) hanging from related behaviors trees Black= non • Traffic cone containing enrichment grasses and diet food items related behaviors • Rolls of wire mesh with fruits • Food hanging from a string

4 The Shape of Enrichment Volume 18, No. 4 November 2009 t f J Z P V i x S E I m v G j Q K U T g o L w t f J Z P r Feeding Devices for Black-Pincelled Marmosets By Mariana Prado Borges, Jonas Byk, Kleber Del-Claro, Sabiá’ Park Zoo, Uberlândia, Brazil

ur enrichment program for black-pincelled licked the flowers with honey and sometimes Omarmosets (Callithrix penicillata) aimed to took off the flower’s petals. The time that the improve the welfare of six animals, three males animals spent in the interacting with the devices and three females, using feeding enrichment models. We used the follow- Sabia P ark Zoo ing devices. Sabia P ark Zoo Small plastic bottles containing fruits. These bottles are 14 cm in length and contain only one 3 cm diameter opening. Wood varied between two and eight minutes, with wheels, known average of four minutes. Above: Taking as Flintstones’ The animals’ responses to the enrichment fruit from small wheels, with fruits and meat in the openings. were positive. We observed an increase in explor- plastic bottle. These devices are 8 cm in diameter and 3 cm ing, foraging, social behaviors, and territorial Opposite: thick. There are three openings for each wheel— behaviors. Foraging behavior increased soon Licking honey two are perforated and one is only a depression. after the from a flower. Flowers, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, with honey on animals in- their petals. teracted with Sabia P ark Zoo The kind of the devices, fruits offered in- and we

Sabia P ark Zoo side the devices found that were banana, the animals watermelon, preferred the apple, coconut food offered and papaya. The with the meat offered enrichment in Flintstones’ devices over wheels was raw food offered freely in a bowl. We also noted that beef. The objects stereotypic behaviors such as pacing decreased. were presented Furthermore, after the application of enrichment in different new behaviors appeared, particularly reproduc- places inside the tive behaviors, which we had not seen previously. enclosure. These behaviors seem to indicate that the enrichment promoted an increase in welfare. These Above: Getting The interac- meat in a tions we observed were diverse. With the small feeding devices presented proved to be effective Flintstone Wheel. plastic bottles and Flintstones’ wheels they in promoting positive changes in the behavioral Opposite: smelled and licked the device, tried to get the patterns. In addition these devices are economical G Structure of the food, and took the food and ate it and manipu- and easy to use. wheel. late the device or food. They also smelled and

The Shape of Enrichment Volume 18, No. 4 November 2009 5 t f J Z P V i x S E I m v G j Q K U T g o L w t f J Z P r Artificial Termite Mounds for Anteaters By Débora Boccacino, Msc., Environmental Enrichment Coordinator, RIOZOO Foundation, Brazil & Bárbara Souza Neil Magalhães, Biologist, UFRJ, Brazil

he RIOZOO Foundation is the municipal zoo to dry for a few days, we decided to use a small Tof Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and it has more than piece of bamboo as the entrance door for the 2,200 animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects. At RIOZOO Foundation, we don’t breed birds and mammals. Within the animal collec- termites, just cockroaches, so we used small cock- tion, there are a couple roaches that were the same size as adult termites.

Riozoo of lesser anteaters This enrichment item was given to the lesser (Tamandua tetradactyla) anteater pair, which smelled the entire environ- in an wooded enclosure ment when given access to the enrichment. The with tree trunks and peculiar smell of the cockroaches attracted the hammocks for resting, male, who found the termite mound. After smell- and a couple of giant ing and walking around it for some time, the anteaters (Myrmecophaga male began destroying the clay to find a way into tridactyla) in an enclo- the internal cavity. Consequently, the cockroaches sure that has, in addi- started tion to trunks and trees, swarm- two caves with visual ing from the mound, Lesser anteater barriers made of trunks clawing the at the entrance, which provide the animals with resulting in a clay of the more privacy. big reaction termite mound. One of biggest difficulties of housing anteat- from both ers in captivity is breeding insects to feed them. animals. The At the RIOZOO Founda- lesser anteat- tion, their food consists of a ers kept on in- Riozoo protein soup with eggs and teracting with meat, Aminomix®, milk, the item for about one and a half hours, hunting apples, bananas, and cat the insects. They were satisfied only when the food. To give these animals termite mound was only just a small piece of clay access to the food, an arti- and the cockroaches had all disappeared. ficial rocky termite mound The artificial termite mound was a success was built, with PVC tubes and allowed us to achieve our aims. that can be filled with food. • Sensory stimulation – the animals used The available tree their senses of sight and smell to find the trunks allow these animals item, and touch to search for a way to ac- Above: Rock cess the insects. termite mound to exercise and engage in claw maintenance. • Food stimulation – the item provided a with PVC tube Some of these trunks occasionally come with ter- containing mites, and, when it does happen, there are only new way of getting food, besides the pos- proten soup. few termites, which are not enough to entertain sibility of nutritional supplementation. Right: Termite the anteaters for a long time or let them practice • Physical stimulation – the animals exer- mound their hunting behavior. cised their muscles and practiced claw structure: Thinking about these problems, we created maintenance. a) wooden an environmental enrichment item to simulate a • Social stimulation – normally solitary, the support; b) natural termite mound. The animals can use their lesser anteaters interacted with the item clay walls and sense of smell to find it, exercise their muscles together. wooden strips; and claws to access the termites, and express Besides all these stimulations, the animals c) bamboo; hunting behaviors. The artificial termite mound kept busy and increased their exploratory activity d) cavity was built with clay using a 20-liter receptacle as a throughout the enclosure. It confirms that envi- with straw, mold. To reinforce the structure and increase the ronmental enrichment is an efficient treatment cardboard, and access difficulty, we put pieces of wood between to enhance physical and mental welfare, and cockraoches. the clay and cardboard and straw in the internal depends more on creativity than on high costs. G cavity. Because it was necessary for the material

6 The Shape of Enrichment Volume 18, No. 4 November 2009 t f J Z P V i x S E I m v G j Q K U T g o L w t f J Z P r Shift Training the Grey-Headed Flying Fox By Tara Oler, Kim Szawan, Kim Mathias, and Lauren Lear, National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland

n April 2005, the National Aquarium in Baltimore and wait until they were calm before we left. After Iacquired 6.0 grey-headed flying foxes from Heales- about a month, they would stay in position when we ville Sanctuary in Australia for the new Animal Planet entered the room or their enclosure. Australia: Wild Extremes exhibit. This complex, walk- The first step in our training program was to through exhibit build a relationship with the bats. We started stick simulates a river feeding them using the bats’ favorite fruits from the gorge and is 83 diet, which include grapes, banana, and cantaloupe. feet high with a We used a small plastic stick and placed a piece of

Baltimore Aquarium footprint of about fruit on the end. We began by touching the bats’ 7,000 square feet. mouth area with the fruit. Within two weeks all of There are three the bats would accept fruit from the stick. fabricated trees Each bat was given a name to simplify identi- made out of epoxy fication and to track each animal’s progress more in the exhibit. One efficiently. During the stick-feeding sessions we was built to be started to use their name when we presented them the bats’ roosting with food. By the end of July, some of the bats site. The tree is would move for the food when we used the com- 20 feet high and mand “come here” along with their name. During has branches ranging in diameter from pencil thin to the following months, all the bats moved toward three inches. The plan called for the bats to roost in the stick for food and responded to their names. The the tree on exhibit during visitor hours and return to bats were moved from the Animal Care Center to the their enclosure when the aquarium closed. Our train- exhibit on October 5, 2005. ing goal was to get them to shift on and off exhibit on cue. Bat Enclosure and Back-Up Prior to the exhibit’s The bats’ exhibit enclosure is 12 ft-(l) x 10.5 ft-(w) x completion, the bats were 7 ft-(h), a foot shorter than their old enclosure. It is housed at the Aquarium’s located in a backup area of the exhibit. The enclosure

Baltimore Aquarium Animal Care Center in a has five sides and is made of a plastic coated wire. 7.5-ft (l) x 5.5-ft (w) x 8-ft The front side contains a door for people to access (h) enclosure. Upon arrival the enclosure and a shift door that is used by the bats the bats were very nervous. to enter and exit the enclosure. The people door is For the first month they 25 inches wide x 61 inches high and 16 inches from would huddle in the back the enclosure ceiling. The shift door is 48.5 inches corner of the enclosure wide x 36.5 inches high and is two inches from the whenever a keeper entered enclosure ceiling. The right side of the enclosure has the room. This behavior no doors and looks into a staff-only area. There is a was even more pronounced catwalk that runs the width of the enclosure’s roof Rellationship when a keeper entered their enclosure, which with a three-foot railing. There are stairs leading to building was an required daily scrubbing and disinfecting. The bats the catwalk on the right side of the enclosure that are important first were given juice and water during the day and were step. 12 feet high. In direct line with the shift door is the fed their full diet around 4 p.m. to familiarize them fabricated tree that was intended for the bats to roost with the feeding routine that would be implemented on during the day. The distance between the shift on exhibit. door and the bat tree is eight and a half feet; four To reduce their nervous behavior, we started an- and a half feet for a staff walkway and four feet of nouncing ourselves as we entered the room and their decorative rock work. The bats had three half-inch- enclosure by saying “coming in.” We would also sized rope pieces to move from the enclosure to the stand in the room, talk to them for a period of time, bat tree.

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Target Training: Overcoming Obstacles previous sessions were handled. This variety reduced Our goal was to target the bats out of their enclosure, aggression while helping the bats move forward through the shift door, across the three ropes, and toward our training goal. onto the bat tree. In the evening, we expected the bats to return to their enclosure by placing their diet Bridge Training and enrichment in Although the variation in training decreased aggres- the enclosure. To sion, we still had to address the reduced area in the begin this training shifting space. We decided to create a bridge, which process, we con- would increase space between the shift door and bat

Baltimore Aquarium tinued stick feed- tree. On November 16, we installed 8.5 feet long x 4.5 ing while asking feet wide bridge from the top of the shift door to the the bats to move middle section of the bat tree to encourage the bats to greater distances move to the tree. To help the bats feel more secure, we for their reinforce- constructed the bridge using the same material as the ment. This was enclosure. done with one The training team then tried multiple training trainer two times techniques to encourage the bats onto the tree via the a day, at 10:30 a.m. bridge. The first technique was to target the animal Target training and 2:30 p.m. We thru the shift door and on the bridge. This was com- for moving marked their progress when one digit (i.e. thumb nail pleted with two trainers: one was inside the enclosure across the or foot) was moved and secured in a different place and targeted the bat towards the shift door, and the enclosure. on the wire mesh. By October 26, we used enclosure other was outside the enclosure under the bridge. marks such as metal bars or ropes to identify the Once the bat was targeted to the shift door, the trainer distance traveled towards the shift door. on the inside of the enclosure passed the animal to Once targeting across the enclosure was a solid the trainer outside. While some bats were training on behavior, we decided to open the shift door. Training the bridge, the inside trainer would then work with was progressing, the bats that would not venture out of the enclosure. but the animals Using this system, we were able to train three of the began to display six bats to target onto the bridge, although most were dominance issues reluctant to stay on the bridge for extended periods

Baltimore Aquarium due to the reduced of time. space in the area At this point, we modified the technique by using of the shift door different reinforcers on the bridge and bat tree to keep and rope pieces. the animals’ interest. The bats were given bowls of This was an unex- baby juice, baby food, and a variety of favorite treats pected hurdle that from their diet. With increased foraging options, we quickly affected assumed the bats would spend more time outside the training sessions. enclosure and start to investigate the bat tree; how- To curb the ag- ever, they did not. At this point we decided to take a gression, we used different approach. two trainers and introduced more Non-interactive Training variability into the Beginning November 29, a second technique was ini- training sessions. tiated. Instead of active training, we began a session Cargo mesh Depending on the by opening the shift door and placing reinforcements was used to group behavior, we used three general approaches. If on the bridge and the tree. We would then sit 5 to 10 create a ladder the bats were not fighting, we would split them into feet away from the bats and observe their behavior. the bats could two groups. If the alpha bat was aggressive towards These observations were primarily accomplished in use to get into the rest of the group, one trainer worked the aggres- the evening, and the shift door was opened dur- and out of the sor and one trainer worked the rest of the group. If ing the night, which allowed the bats the option of exhibit. the group had limited aggression, one trainer began exploring the exhibit. the session, with the second trainer joining the ses- The first two bats ventured into the exhibit sion a quarter of the way through. The type of session sometime in the night of November 30, but did not depended on the mornings’ aggression level and how readily return to their enclosure. For the next couple

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of weeks, different bats would come and go from door was shut only if there were two or more bats in the enclosure, but their behavior was inconsistent. the enclosure. If an individual was out on exhibit for This pattern would not allow us to fulfill our original more than three nights in a row, they were physically training goal, which was to shift the bats on and caught and placed inside the enclosure. It took some off exhibit by using a cue. We finally secured the time for the bats to proficiently navigate through the group in the enclosure on December 12. Their erratic exhibit, but after the third week all the bats returned shifting behavior seemed in part to be due to a lack to the enclosure consistently. of trust the bats had for their keepers. Therefore, Our goal was to cue the bats at 6 p.m. and have relationship building became our them secured in their enclosure by 6:30 p.m. This primary focus. The bats started allowed them half an hour to shift off exhibit. Over a taking juice from a syringe and period of two months, we gradually moved the time hand feeding on December 18. back in half-hour increments, starting at 10 p.m. We

Baltimore Aquarium Once this was a solid behavior, the reached the 6:30 p.m. goal during the first week of bats were re-introduced to target June. training. The shifting process involves several steps. In On this occasion, our goal was the morning, the trainers enter the enclosure and to increase time out of, and dis- reinforce the bats for calm behavior. We then raise a tance from, the enclosure. For the cargo mesh ladder from the top of the enclosure to next two months, we worked on the exhibit ceiling. We open the shift door and simul- targeting the bats out of the enclo- taneously blow a whistle three times to signal them to sure and keeping them occupied shift. The bats shift out. on the bridge or bat tree. Around The evening procedure is almost the same. At 6 March 20, we would shut the shift p.m., we raise the ladder from the top of the enclosure door when one of the six bats was to the ceiling, providing another means for the bats to calmly on the bridge. For the next reach the enclosure and a large visual cue that signals The bats travel them to come in. We open the shift door and blow along the cargo couple of weeks, we tried to increase the number three loud short blasts on a whistle to get the bats’ mesh ladder. of bats on the bridge at one time. At the end of the month, there was still only one bat that would remain attention and let them know it’s time to move. In calm when the shift door was closed. Again, we addition, we call each one by name, tap metal feeding decided our method was bowls together, and tell them to shift. not working. This was the Once the animals are inside, they are rewarded by major turning point in our using positive reinforcement in the form of a variety training plan. At this point, of fruit juices, baby food, and an assortment of fruits.

Baltimore Aquarium we changed our focus to We then place a small amount of their diet into a bowl motivating the bats out of and place the bowl in each bat’s designated area or their enclosure and cueing territory. This helps clear the bats of the shift door them back to the enclosure area, which reduces aggression while others are en- at a desired time. tering the enclosure. Once the bats are in, or the time limit has passed, we close and secure the shift door, Successful Training Tech- lower the ladder, disperse the rest of their diet, and nique complete the training records for the day. View from the The bats are currently returning to their enclosure bat enclosure On April 4, we herded all the bats into the exhibit within a 0 to 20 minute period. The majority of the out into the for the first time. In preparation, we placed food and exhibit, with the treats along the bridge and on the tree. To herd the time all of the bats come in off exhibit. bat tree ahead. bats, four trainers in the enclosure used small baffles (food trays) as a barricade and gradually moved the Conclusion: Successes and Challenges animals towards the shift door. Once the bats were The flying fox training was successful, but there were outside the enclosure, the door was closed for the many challenges to overcome throughout the process. day, and the bats were allowed to explore the exhibit. Challenges began following introduction to the For the first three nights the shift door was left overnight enclosure in the new exhibit. Construction open, and food was placed in their enclosure. On was not complete, so contractors were still working April 8, the trainers began staying until the exhibit throughout the exhibit. The overnight enclosure is lights were turned off at 10 p.m. to record the indi- located in a high traffic area, and contractor work viduals that returned to the enclosure to eat. The shift was stressing the bats. Training was ceased until we

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could reduce this stressor. Signs were posted to warn around rather than fly to a desired location. To assist contractors of the bats and ask them to announce them in shifting off exhibit, more ropes were added themselves when walking near their enclosure. to the bat tree, the eucalyptus trees around the enclo- Jingle bells were placed on doors to the vestibule so sure, and to the ceiling wire. A ladder made of cargo the bats could prepare for passing traffic. When staff mesh was added from the ceiling to the enclosure and contractors began to follow these roof so the bats could move directly from the ceiling directions, the bats’ anxiety was down to their enclosure entrance. This ladder is used greatly reduced. for shifting the bats on and off exhibit and also serves Training was then reinstated as a cue to begin the shifting process. Baltimore Aquarium and relationship building was our Aggression, a natural behavior of bats, has been primary focus; by building a strong the biggest problem throughout this process. Each relationship with the individual bats bat has a territory within the enclosure, and very we, as trainers, became associated frequently the dominance hierarchy changes. Aggres- with reinforcement. We worked on sion has also led to some bats not returning to the relationship building during sched- enclosure in the evening. Decreasing aggression is a Above and uled sessions and by going into the challenge and has been approached in many ways. below: enclosure at random times of the day. Major mile- Barriers; including towels, shower curtains, and ply- Enrichment stones in this process were reached when the bats wood sections, have been placed inside the enclosure. feeding started moving towards us and when we graduated Plywood was also added to the roof of the enclosure devices. from stick feeding to hand feeding individual bats. to deter aggression between bats inside and outside Although the bats were successfully of the enclosure. target trained, targeting was found not to To increase natural foraging behavior, there are be the best method for shifting the bats more food bowls in the enclosure than animals and out of the enclosure, and a new method— food enrichment is added to the enclosure after

Baltimore Aquarium herding—was implemented. While the full diet has been dispersed. Examples of food perhaps not the ideal method, herding the enrichment include: skewers of corn on the cob, suet bats onto exhibit was successful. Initially, feeders filled with fruits and vegetables, nectar feed- the time allotted for the bats to exit the ers, and food on hooks. This enrichment is placed enclosure was about 10 minutes. After throughout the enclosure on neutral ground. Another three days of shifting the bats on and off approach to decrease aggression is to give the bats exhibit, the baffles were not needed. The only a few pieces of their diet in each bowl until the bats quickly learned that when the door shift door is closed for the evening. It is natural for opened it was time to shift. Presently, it this species of bat to be territorial and these methods takes about 15 seconds for all the bats to have helped, but we will always be faced with this exit the enclosure. challenge. Other challenges arose when all the This entire process has forced us to be flexible. bats shifted onto exhibit. Instead of hanging in the It was a learning experience for all involved. When tree intended for their use, they hung from the ceil- obstacles arose, we discussed multiple options and ing wire. This issue was addressed immediately by tried new things to find the best solution. Our future covering the ceiling wire in the enclosure so the bats training goals are scale training and voluntary wing could only use ropes and branches to move around. display. Weight changes occur often in the group, and We thought the bats would become desensitized to the rapid changes in dominance make scale training the wire and would use the ropes to go out to the very useful. Scale training would make monitoring tree and roost. However, the bats continued to hang weights safer and less stressful for the bats and staff. from the ceiling wire. This forced us to reconsider the Voluntary wing displaying will allow trainers to do vision of the exhibit, and we are no longer attempting wing exams without having to handle the animals. G to alter roosting preferences. In the beginning, all the bats experienced some Acknowledgements difficulty navigating their way into their overnight We would like to thank the following people for their enclosure. In the wild, large flying foxes typically time, ideas and support throughout this lengthy pro- “crash-land”—in the exhibit they crashed into trees, cess: John Seyjagat, Sue Hunter, Heidi Hellmuth, Liz the enclosure roof, or wall surfaces to halt flight. Due Evans, and Tami Goodman. to the stress and risk of injury, they prefer to walk across the ceiling wire or their enclosure wire to get 10 The Shape of Enrichment Volume 18, No. 4 November 2009 t f J Z P V i x S E I m v G j Q K U T g o L w t f J Z P r RENEWAL REMINDER

The terrified tarsier is back once again to tell you that this is the last issue of your 2009 subscription to The Shape of Enrichment—it's time to renew for 2010!

And this year, we have NEW options. We are pleased to offer subscriptions, all back issues, and some ICEE proceedings in a greener, downloadable format!

If you are registered on our org to order with a credit card As long as you are registered, website, you can renew your online or order downloadable you can order downloadable subscription, as well as purchase publications! publications by check. Be sure back issues and some ICEE Once you have registered, to include the individual’s name proceedings, onli ne at www. log in and click on “Order” and email address on their on- enrichment.org. (listed under “Order & Donate” line account. Annual subscriptions run on the menu bar). This page You need not be registered to from January to January and are shows all publications available order hard copies of any publi- priced as follow: for purchase at this time. Verify cation. • $18 downloadable (to that the shipping order is cor- There are four issues per download, you MUST be rect; the order price is based on year, scheduled for shipment in registered on our web- the shipping address. Please in- February, May, August, and No- site) clude your name and your exact vember (and we’re working to • $24 hard copy mailed to address (especially important in get back on that schedule!). The US addresses large institutions) to ensure that 2010 issues will be volume 19. • $28 for hard copy you receive your copy. Tick the Back issues are available— mailed to other ad- box next to the item(s) you wish there are 63 back issues to date dresses. to order and click on the “Or- (only 2 were published in Vol- To register, go to www. der” button at the top or bottom ume 1). enrichment.org and click on of the page. If you have any questions, the “Register” photo button or To order by check, complete email us at shape@enrichment. on the menu bar. Complete the the order form and print. In- org. Thank you again for your form and submit. Registration is clude the order form in the en- interest and support—we can’t free and your information is not velope with your check payable do it without you! shared with others. Please record to The Shape of Enrichment (US your user name and password, funds drawn on a US bank) and Online or in the as you will need these to log in mail it to: and download. The Shape of Enrichment mail—send in your Remember, you MUST be 1650 Minden Drive renewal today! registered on www.enrichment. San Diego, CA 92111, U.S.A.

The Shape of Enrichment Volume 18, No. 4 November 2009 11 t f J Z P V i x S E I m v G j Q K U T g o L w t f J Z P r The Shape of Enrichment Website Gets a Much-Needed Upgrade!

On 1 May 2009, The Shape of Enrichment launched its new website. Many thanks to the site architect, Randy Weeton, and designer, Azlynn Hare, for volunteering their time and expertise to create this website! The website is best accessed using Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or Internet Explorer (version 7 or later). There are several sections (a.k.a. miniwebs) within it. As you navigate through them, you will find that the colors and graphics change to help identify the various sections. The front page (see below) has several photo buttons that serve as shortcuts to various sections of the website. However, there are many more sections to the site in addition to those. Be sure to check out the Publications, Conference Calendar, REECs, ICEE, and Video Library pages, among other This site is more robust, allowing features not available on our old site! To take full advantage of these abilities, we are currently planning some new things, such as: searchable safety and enrichment item databases; online videos; and more! The best way to find out when these new features are ready is to (a) register so we can send you an e-mail notification and (b) check the “New!” page frequently for announcements! So please visit our site at www.enrichment.org, register and/or log in, check it out, and let us know what you think by e-mailing [email protected]!

The navigation bar (a.k.a. menu) appears on every page of the website. Clicking on one of these items takes you to the home page for that section. If you move your cursor over one of the menu items, a drop down menu of secondary items appears. Clicking on any of these items will take you directly to that page.

Your name will appear here, on the left side of the animal bar, when you To access any of the Shape—Regional miniweb- are logged in. To update your personal information (e.g., e-mail address), sites, click on the tiger cub photo. This will take click on your name. you to the Regionals home page. Each regional has its own colors and graphics. Also, the region- The Shape of Enrichment logo appears in the left of the masthead als have a separate menu bar depicting the shape on every page of the website. Clicking on this logo returns you to of each region. Clicking on these shapes takes to this front page. the the home page for that Shape--Regional.

The photo in this spot changes each time you access this Learn more about The front page. Depicted here is a Shape of Enrichment, king penguin investigating a its services, and our fishcicle. Clicking on this photo amazing volunteers or on the screen background, by clicking on the takes you to the “New!” page. bear photo. This page is the best place to Clicking on the wildcat find out what issue is in publi- photo takes you to the cation, highlighted conference enrichment section. and workshop events, news This section includes: about Shape and our website, enrichment definition, and so on. Be sure to visit this planning, and catego- page frequently! ries; related links; and contact information for help with your enrichment challenges. Clicking on the marmoset photo will take The Shape of Enrichment depends Since 2000, The Shape of you to the safety section of the website. on your support! Please consider Click on the parrot photo Enrichment has conducted One of the newest features of the site making a donation to either our to register or log in. To Enrichment Workshops is our safety database. Here, you will general fund or the Lee Houts Me- download publications or around the globe. Click find entries containing real life safety morial Fund. To learn more about receive e-mail notices of here to learn more about hazards that have occured due to en- donations or to order subscriptions, new features, you must be The Shape of Enrichment richment strategies. You can search the back issues, or ICEE proceedings, registered. Workshops. database by taxonomic group, enrich- click on the gorilla photo. ment type, and/or hazard. We encourage you to visit this database often and, especially to submit additional entries. All entries are posted as anonymous. 12 The Shape of Enrichment Volume 18, No. 4 November 2009 t f J Z P V i x S E I m v G j Q K U T g o L w t f J Z P r The Enrichment /Training Video Library This library consists of video tapes donated in the interest of sharing enrichment techniques, a collaborative effort between The American Association of Zoo Keepers, Inc. (AAZK) and The Shape of Enrichment, Inc. All videos are available in VHS-NTSC (North America), -PAL, or -SECAM formats. Please do not copy these tapes or request more than three at a time.There are four geographical areas handling videos. If you live in Europe, Africa, or the Middle East, contact our video volunteers at videoEu- [email protected]. If you live in Australia, New Zealand, or the nearby South Asia regions, contact videoAusAsia@enrichment.org. If you live in South America, contact [email protected]. If you live in the U.S. or anywhere else not men- tioned, contact our main office [email protected] . Be sure to include your full address and the VHS format required. Information on the library and order forms can also be found on our website at www.enrichment.org. GENERAL ENRICHMENT AND • Training Program for Semen Collection in • Working For a Living, Folsom City Zoo, TRAINING Gorillas, Henry Doorly Zoo 38 min. California 13 min. • A Look at Enrichment, The Shape of • Gorilla Enrichment, Columbus Zoo, • Enrichment for Gray and Harbor Seals, Enrichment, Inc., San Diego, California Ohio 18 min. National Aquarium in Baltimore, (Video or CD) 37 min. • Gorilla Enrichment, Denver Zoo, Maryland 6 min. • That’s Enrichment!, The Shape of Colorado 15 min. • Sea Otter Enrichment, Monterey Bay Enrichment, Inc., San Diego, California • Gorilla Husbandry Training for Assisted Aquarium, California 5 min. (Video or CD) 12 min. Reproduction at Disney’s Animal • Enrichment at the Taronga Zoo, Sydney Kingdom, Orlando, Florida 22 min. OTHER MAMMAL ENRICHMENT AND Australia 5 min. • Orangutan Medical Behavior Training, TRAINING • Behavioural Enrichment by the People Brookfield Zoo, Illinois 10 min. • Fruit Bat Enrichment, The Lubee for the Animals, Rotterdam Zoo, The • Stressless Research Monkey Capture, Foundations, Inc., Gainesville, Florida Netherlands 18 min. Animal Welfare Institute 20 min. 16 min. • Environmental Enrichment: Advancing • Enrichment at the Bronx Zoo Monkey • Olfactory Enrichment: Rodrigue’s Fling Animal Care, UFAW, U.K. 38 min. House, New York, New York 10 min. Fox, The Lubee Foundations, Inc., • Metro Washington Park Zoo • Primate Enrichment, Dallas Zoo, Texas Gainesville, Florida 4 min. Environmental Enrichment Program, 23 min. • Commercial Bat Enrichment, The Leather Portland, Oregon 16 min. • Primate Enrichment, Burnet Park Zoo, Elves and The Lubee Foundations, Inc., • And Enrichment For All, San Diego Zoo, New York 34 min. Gainesville, Florida 5 min. California 19 min. • Primate Enrichment, Columbus Zoo, • Carnivorous Cravings: Great Spear-Nosed • Menagerie’s Medium, San Diego Zoo, Ohio 3 min. Fruit Bat, The Lubee Foundations, Inc., California 11 min. • Bungee Jumping Monkeys, Philadelphia Gainesville, Florida 6 min. • Habitat Enrichment Ideas from the Topeka Zoo, Pennsylvania 18 min. • Elephant Feeder Ball Introduction, San Zoo, Kansas 32 min. • Three Observations of Callitrichids Using Diego Wild Animal Park, California 12 • Enrichment Day at Utah’s Hogle Zoo 42 an Artificial Gum Tree, The Lubee min. min. Foundations, Inc., Gainesville, Florida • Snow Fall for Elephants, San Diego Wild • ABC-123 Enrichment at Hogle Zoo, Utah 15 min. Animal Park, California 6 min. 10 min. • Kansas City Giraffe and Rhino Enrichment • Taking Enrichment to the Next Level, CARNIVORE ENRICHMENT AND 45 min. Hogle Zoo, Utah 10 min. TRAINING • Rhino Training, Disney’s Animal • Enrichment at THE ZOO Including • Carcass Feeding at Wildlife Safari, Kingdom, Orlando, Florida 15 min. Tamarins on the Loose, Gulf Breeze Zoo, Winston, Oregon 17 min. • Mission: Enrichment for Hoofed Stock, Florida 40 min. • Carcass Feeding at Folsom City Zoo, Dallas Zoo, Texas 18 min. • Mixed Species Exhibits by Animal Choice, California 5 min. • Kangaroo and Wallaby Enrichment at the Gulf Breeze Zoo, Florida 8 min. • So Many Cats, Cincinnati Zoo, Ohio 4 Philadelphia Zoo, Pennsylvania 5 min. • Columbus Zoo Enrichment, Ohio 7 min. min. • Tree Kangaroo Pouch-Check Training, • I Get a Kick Out of You and Manatee • Enrichment for Carnivores, Sunset Zoo, Brookfield Zoo, Illinois 5 min. Training and Enrichment, Ohio 5 min. Manhatten, Kansas 23 min. • Marine Mammal Enrichment, National • Lincoln Park Enrichment Day, Chicago, • Carnivore Enrichment, Columbus Zoo, Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland Illinois 15 min. Ohio 5 min. • Sedgwick County Zoo Play Days, Wichita, • Carnivore Enrichment, Kolmarden Zoo, BIRD ENRICHMENT AND TRAINING Kansas 50 min. Sweden 74 min. • Positive Approach to Parrots as Pets. Tape • Target Training, Brookfield Zoo, Illinois • Cat Enrichment, Dallas Zoo, Texas 13 1: Understanding Bird Behavior; Tape 2: 12 min. min. Training through Positive Reinforcement, • The Training Game, Brookfield Zoo, • Tiger Enrichment, Disney’s Animal Natural Encounters, Inc., Lakeville, Illinois 16 min. Kingdom, Orlando, Florida 8 min. Minnesota 69 min. each tape • Operant Conditioning at the Memphis Zoo, • Felid TAG DAK Training, Disney’s • Kings of the Wind, Natural Encounters, Tennessee 90 min. Animal Kingdom, Orlando, Florida Inc., Lakeville, Minnesota 38 min. • Animal Training for Different Species, 21 min. Columbus Zoo, Ohio 58 min. • Bears with Boomer Balls, Boomer Ball OTHER ANIMAL ENRICHMENT AND 68 min. TRAINING PRIMATE ENRICHMENT AND • The Bear Necessities: Captive Enrichment • Octopus Enrichment at the Cleveland TRAINING for Polar Bears, UFAW, U.K. 20 min. Zoo, Ohio 6 min. • Gorilla Training at the Belo Horizonte Zoo, • Building a Polar Bear Den at the Calgary Brazil Zoo, Canada 75 min. • Primates with Boomer Balls, Boomer Ball • Bear Exhibit Renovation, Woodland 83 min. Park Zoo, Seattle, Washington 17 min. The Shape of Enrichment Volume 18, No. 4 November 2009 13 t f J Z P V i x S E I m v G j Q K U T g o L w t f J Z P r Editors: Downloadable Subscriptions In 2010! Karen E. Worley Valerie J. Hare Editorial Advisor: Beginning in 2010 (Volume 19), The Shape of Enrichment is offering down- David Shepherdson, Ph.D. loadable subscriptions. We strongly encourage you to consider requesting this Oregon Zoo, Oregon “green” option! Subscribers to the downloadable version of The Shape of Enrich- Editorial Reviewers: ment will enjoy many benefits: Mollie Bloomsmith, Ph.D. • E-mail notification when each issue is published and ready to download — no Yerkes Primate Center, Georgia more waiting for the postal service! Kathy Carlstead, Ph.D. • No price increase Honolulu Zoo, Hawaii • Store your issues on your hard drive — no more lost or torn issues! Amy Cutting, Ph.D. Oregon Zoo, Oregon • Print only what you need; re-print whenever you like Vicky Melfi, Ph.D. Paignton Zoo, U.K. To take advantage of our downloadable subscriptions, you MUST be a regis- Challenges Coordinator: tered user on our new website (see page 12 for information). To register, go to Else Poulsen www.enrichment.org, click on Register, and complete the form. Be sure to make Video Library Coordinators: a note of your user name and password — you will need these when you log Beth Rich on! Also, if your contact information changes — especially your email — re- Yvette Kemp member to update your user account. Harald Schwammer Cynthia Cipreste Jo Walker Beginning with Volume 19, complimentary subscriptions will only be downloadable; hard copies will no longer be available. Hard copies of The Shape of The Shape of Enrichment is dedicated to Enrichment will still be available for purchase; but increased postage fees will be sharing ideas, inspirations, and practical knowl- reflected in the cost of the subscription and back issues. edge of enrichment strategies among those working in the field of animal care. It is an open forum for keepers, trainers, curators, research- Very soon, all The Shape of Enrichment back issues and some of the International ers, exhibit designers, administrators, volun- Conference on Environmental Enrichment (ICEE) Proceedings will also be teers, and anyone else interested in approaches available through our Publication Download feature. Register now to be noti- to enrichment. All of our staff are volunteers. fied when these become available! We are always looking for new submissions, from feature-length articles to short blurbs. We accept submissions in any form, polished or not. Let us, and your colleagues, hear from you!

THE SHAPE OF ENRICHMENT presents enrichment ideas of all kinds from a variety of sources. We urge you to consider, assess, and evaluate any idea carefully before applying it Contents: Volume 18, No. 4 November 2009 to your own animals and exhibits. If you have concerns or opposing views, we are happy to Features accept letters and articles that express them. 1 Better Home for Pheasants through Environmental As the editors, we present these ideas for your Enrichment consideration only; we do not take responsibil- by R Lakshminarasimha and Vijay Ranjan Singh ity for their effectiveness or feasibility. 4 Importance of Environmental Enrichment THE SHAPE OF ENRICHMENT, ISSN 1088- for Guanacos 8152, is published quarterly by the non-profit The Shape of Enrichment, Inc. Subscriptions by M. Florencia Presa, F. Astrada, D. Avejera, and E. Martinez are $18 per calendar year, payable in U.S. 5 Feeding Devices for Black-Pincelled Marmosets funds only, drawn on a U.S. bank or by credit by Mariana Prado Borges, Jonas Byk, and Kleber Del-Claro card on www.enrichment.org. Domestic and foreign air mail postage is included. Mid-year 6 Artificial Termite Mounds for Anteaters subscriptions are prorated. Back issues are by Debora Boccacino and Barbara Souza Neil Magalhaes available for $5 each. Send all subscription 7 requests, article submissions, letters, comments, Shift Training the Grey-Headed Flying Fox and questions to 1650 Minden Dr., San Diego, by Tara Oler, Kim Szawan, Kim Mathias, and Lauren Lear CA 92111-7124. Phone: (858) 279-4273. E-mail: 11 Renewal Reminder [email protected]. Please share and photocopy any part of 12 The Shape of Enrichment Website Gets a this newsletter, as long as you credit the source, Much-Needed Upgrade its editors, and the authors. This publication is Video Library 13 NOT FOR RESALE.

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