Patterns of animal-enrichment interaction in captive brown bears

Trainer Interaction Can Improve Welfare Outcomes of Toy Enrichment for Isolated Animals: A Case Study

In cases where social animals must be temporarily housed alone, environmental enrichment is particularly important. Providing animals with manipulable objects (“toys”) is a common form of environmental enrichment, but its effectiveness can be limited by animal disinterest or habituation. The current study examined whether caregiver interaction could increase the effectiveness of object-based enrichment for a quarantined bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Behavioral observations were conducted after a training session, after a trainer toy play session, and between interactive sessions. The results showed that the dolphin floated in place less and played with toys more after interacting with a caregiver than he did at times further removed from caregiver interaction. He was also more likely to play with the same toys that the trainer had played with, showing effects of stimulus enhancement and/or social referencing. Although this study is, of necessity, based on a single animal of a single species, these findings suggest that interacting with a caregiver can enhance the efficacy of object-based environmental enrichment for isolated animals.

Survey on the Past Decade of Technology in Animal Enrichment: A Scoping Review

Simple Summary

Enrichment is important for supporting the well-being of captive animals. Enrichment increase animal quality of life through encouraging natural behaviours. As enrichment is shifting to a more centered role in animal care, technology is becoming increasingly accessible and is becoming embedded in animal enrichment in creative ways. This review explores the trends in technology usage in animal enrichment studies. Through pulling the past decade of technology enrichment work together, we discuss gaps such as needing to include a larger variety of species (extending passed mammals), ensuring enrichment designs focus primarily on the senses an animal uses to interact with the world rather than human senses, and encouraging similar study designs across animal contexts to allow for streamlined comparisons.

Abstract

Environmental enrichment is adding complexity to an environment that has a positive impact on a captive animal as a necessity of care. Computing technology is being rapidly weaved throughout the space in both enrichment devices as well as evaluating enrichment outcomes. In this article, we present a scoping review of 102 captive animal enrichment studies and propose a contextual lens for exploring current practices. We discuss the importance of directed growth in species inclusion, transitioning beyond anthro-centric designs, and utilizing shared methodologies.