Red, White, and Zoo

At work today, a call went out for extra volunteers for the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens monthly enrichment day. At the employee break room, carpet rolls, cardboard boxes, and paper maché balloons were being prepared for the monthly enrichment day, on Saturday, July the 19th. To honor the "Red, White, and Zoo", staff was painting everything in non-toxic red, white, and blue.

Keepers in modern zoos use "enrichment", to provide an interesting, varying, and challenging environment for the animals. Many of these items are artificial, such as plastic food puzzles, canine and equine toys, rubber tubs, used telephone books. As this is not esthetically pleasing for zoos that pride themselves on natural habitats, the compromise is that non-natural enrichment is usually given off-exhibit, in the night houses.

At the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, once a month, staff highlights its behind-the-scenes enrichment program by putting themed enrichment on exhibit, for the public to appreciate. In addition to the boxes and tubes, other things like spices, special or unusual foods, scents, and frozen items will be added to provide environments of discovery for the animals.

The photograph above is of a giant otter checking out a giant tube decked out for a previous enrichment day. These otters are already active all day long, and the added goodies takes them to a new level of "play".

Photo by S. Staaden