E.N.R.I.C.H. – Encouraging Natural Responses in Captive Habitats

1. ENRICHMENT OF CAPTIVE
TIGER
BY-
SWAYAM PRAKASH NAYAK

2. Enrichment Definition
 A dynamic process for enhancing animal environments
within the context of the animals’ behavioral biology and
natural history.
Environmental changes are made with the goal of
increasing the animals’ behavioral choices and drawing out
their species- appropriate behaviors, thus enhancing
animal welfare.
E.N.R.I.C.H. – Encouraging Natural
Responses in Captive Habitats

3. ENRICHMENT CATEGORIES
SOCIAL COGNITIVE PHYSICAL
HABITAT
SENSORY FOOD
Peer
group,
Puzzle feeders Enclosure
design
Tactile
manipulation
Novel food
items
Care
taker
Training session Elevations Olfactory & taste
packaged scent,
natural scent
Food
presentatio
n i.e
Puzzle
feeder,
hidden food
Trainer Furniture Auditory
vocalizations
Perches Visual sight

4. Increase exploratory behaviour.
Improve physical fitness.
Encourage natural feeding behaviour.
Reduce stereotypic behaviour.
Increase foraging time.
Increase exhibit usage.
 increase in Learning opportunities.
BENEFITS OF ENRICHMENT

5. ENRICHMENT FOR TIGER IN CAPTIVITY
Enrichment includes the design of stimulating and naturalistic
enclosures, the housing of appropriate social groups in
captivity, and the introduction of objects, sounds, smells or
other stimuli in the animal’s environment.
Types of enrichment :
 Different scents such as perfumes and
spices
Transferring animals to different
enclosures
 Adding different greenery/trees/plants to
their yards
Providing new toys such as balls or barrels
Keeping pools in all yards
Hiding meat

6. ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT
Changes to make an animal's habitat that help bring
about natural behaviours such as exploration, hunting,
and foraging.
Environmental enrichment includes rocks, vegetation &
items such as toys and other novel items that are added
to the exhibit to create unique puzzles for the animals to
solve or manipulate.

7. • Substrate-
The use of a suitable substrate may act as a
significant enrichment .
• Tree barks-
These can provide useful opportunities for
climbing .
Enclosure design

8. • Climbing frames-
It is important that climbing structures move in
a natural fashion like trees so, the animals can
get used to moving environment.

9. • Elevated resting sites-
these often consist of platforms supported on
wooden posts or large rocks.

10. ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT
SCRATCHING LOGS-
Used for scratching and urination for territory marking behaviour.

11. ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT
TOYS-
Encourage play & hunting behaviour.
hard plastic balls (boomer balls).
Plastic traffic cones.
Large unsuspended and suspended
tires or balls are useful toys .

12. ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT
Big tub for big cats

13. ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT
Tiger attacking & playing

14. ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT
Tiger cubs playing with toys and bubbles

15. ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT
WATER-improves swimming
behaviour
Pools
Streams
waterfalls

16. ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT
Tigers getting bubble bath

17. DIETARY ENRICHMENT
WHOLE FOOD/CARCASS-
Feeding processed food to felids
leads to abnormal behaviour i.e.
alopecia
And gum diseases
Meat “on the bone” provides
tigers with an oppurtunity to
display natural foraging &
Manipulative behaviour and
occupies their time.

18. DIETARY ENRICHMENT
MEAT TRAIL/HIDING
FOOD/ADDING BONES-
Carcass is dragged through
exhibit and hidden.
Bones can be hidden inside
ice and given to them.
Meat balls is one of the
novel food item.

19. DIETARY ENRICHMENT
Tiger eating frozen fish in the zoo

20. DIETARY ENRICHMENT
Meat in Watermelons-
 Putting meat inside a hollowed-out
watermelon challenges a tiger cognitive
skills in figuring out how best to get to the
meat
Suspending food out of reach
will make animals work for their
food.

21. SENSORY ENRICHMENT FOR TIGER
Sensory Enrichment stimulates
the animal's senses: visual,
hearing, touch, taste, and smell.
Sensory enrichment encourages
animals to assess their
environment - promoting natural
behaviours; like exploration, scent
marking, licking , and rolling.

22. SENSORY ENRICHMENT FOR TIGER
To encourage Flehman’s response,
rubbing,scratching,scent marking
investigation, different types of
perfumes, extracts and spices are given
to tigers.

23. SENSORY ENRICHMENT FOR TIGER
Classical song feels relaxing Tiger watching t.v

24. Social enrichment
Providing appropriate pairings or
groupings, potential mixed species
exhibits and also considering the
level of human contact.
 Social behaviours are often key
to an animals' survival in the wild.
 Social behaviours in the wild can
include, feeding and foraging,
defense and territoriality, and
reproduction and courtship.

25. Social enrichment

Training is an example of keeper and
animal interaction that builds trust
and benefits the daily care of the
animals. Training provides mental
stimulation through learning.
 Training for certain husbandry
behaviours allows the keepers and
vet staff to examine and take care of
the animals in a non-invasive and
stress free way.

26. Enrichment is as integral to animal
care as veterinary and nutrition
programs.