Zoo Animal Medicine
Habitat Enrichment
Tiger Tunnels
Elaborate tunnel systems at the Philadelphia Zoo allow the tigers to explore and watch the visitors.
Polar Bears & Snow
These polar bears love Calgary in the winter! Their enclosure has a natural hill that they love to climb and survey the surrounding land.
Warthogs & Mulch Pile
These warthogs enjoy a good mulch pile. They like to burrow in it with their noses.
Food Enrichment
Lions Eating
It’s important to provide lions with food that stimulates their natural behaviours, as well as with the health benefits of chewing directly off of a hide.
Meerkat & Snow
Meerkats love digging their food out of a snow pile! The zookeepers will bring snow into their enclosure in the winter and stuff food in it.
Elk with a Hay Bale
Here an elk was given a bale of hay to eat and destroy (and apparently sit in).
Environmental Enrichment Devices
Giraffe Playing with Door Knocker
Food can’t always be used for enrichment, or else the animals might become obese, resulting in decreased health. Here, the giraffe uses its lips to play with some door knockers.
Octopus Playing with Mr. Potatohead
This octopus loves to take Mr. Potatohead apart!
A Lizard & His Ball
Something as simple as a golf ball can provide novelty to this lizard’s environment, providing mental enrichment.
Snow Leopard Ultrasound
Dr. Whiteside performs an ultrasound on one of the snow leopards at the Calgary Zoo. The assistant feeds the snow leopard during the procedure so that in future she will know that this interaction is a positive experience.
Polar Bear Blood Collection
A polar bear at the Toronto Zoo is being trained for blood collection. The assistant feeds him during the procedure so that he will have a positive association with blood collection in the future. This is a form of enrichment for the polar bear.
Lion Injection Training
Dr. Whiteside performs an injection on Baruti the lion at the Calgary Zoo. The assistant feeds Baruti evaporated milk – his favourite! This ensures that Baruti associates receiving any sort of injection as a positive experience, reducing the amount of stress he endures.