ENRICHMENT AT MARWELL
One of our top priorities is to cater for both the physical and psychological needs of the animals in our care.
For an animal to feel stimulated it needs more than the basic physical requirements of food, water, shelter, healthcare and an appropriate social structure.
This is where environmental enrichment comes in, a concept which describes how the environments of captive animals can be changed for the benefit of the inhabitants.
Enrichment has been shown to increase the number of wild behavioural patterns amongst animals, leading to more positive utilisation of the enclosure space, a greater ability to cope with challenges in a more natural way, and a reduction in abnormal or negative behaviour.
Marwell has an enrichment group, consisting of keepers, horticulturists, builders and education staff who share ideas, viewpoints, knowledge and experience to agree on the best methods of enrichment.
The group endeavours to tackle the behavioural needs of every single species, not just the high profile, key species but even the obscure and less studied animals, some of which have more complex and specific psychological needs requiring a more challenging enrichment project.
The photos illustrate some of the techniques we use, but there are also many that you can’t see, in particular sensory (or olfactory) enrichment. This involves the introduction of new smells to the enclosure, from herbs and spices, essential oils and plants, to faeces and used bedding from other species as a natural stimulant.
The aim of environmental enrichment is to stimulate all senses, just as would happen naturally in the wild in a large and varied habitat.
Enrichment has been shown to significantly improve the mental welfare of captive wild animals across many parks and zoos, helping to keep them in a happy and healthy state..