Zoo keeps animals healthy, happy with play, exercise (2024)

By Eric Hamilton of the Journal Sentinel

Running, exploring, learning, and yes, playing with food. They're not just for children anymore; the animals are getting in on the action.

On a wet and foggy Saturday morning, visitors attended the Milwaukee County Zoo's second annual Animal Enrichment Day to discover how animals are kept healthy — and happy.

And the humans got their hands dirty, too, with activities showcasing how animals are engaged both physically and mentally.

"Enrichment is a dynamic process," said Erin Dowgwillo, the elephant manager at the zoo and an organizer of the day's events. The goal is to get animals "to express those natural behaviors" that they would in the wild.

Zookeepers promote healthy behaviors and better moods by giving animals access to social partners, naturalistic environments and stimulating training. Without these activities, animals can display the hallmarks of depression, such as pacing, gnawing and self-harm.

Heather Martin of Florida, originally a Milwaukee County resident, listened intently as zookeeper Dawn Kruger demonstrated positive reinforcement to coax the shy red panda, Dash, to be more active and friendly with trainers. Martin came to learn more about enrichment and had already purchased toys for animals from the zoo's Amazon wish list. With toys for elephants ranging up to $600, the costs of enrichment can add up.

Most programs focus on making animals forage and work for food, solve puzzles for treats, or even hunt live prey, letting them practice natural behaviors and stay sharp. Live food comes with the risk of parasites, however, which are a major concern at zoos. Mahal, a young orangutan, succumbed to parasites two and a half years ago.

Which is why a new collaboration between the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's School of Freshwater Sciences and the zoo is so productive. Zookeepers now receive live fish raised in clean environments at UW-Milwaukee, allowing fish-eating animals to safely hunt as they would in the wild.

"It's something we wanted to do for a while," said Kruger. The zoo used to rely on frozen fish.

Near the giraffe enclosure, volunteers staffed tables with activities that allowed visitors to experience enrichment for themselves.

Ben and Elise White from Waukesha crashed into piles of cardboard boxes, not unlike animals who play with the boxes as they search for treats inside. Their parents, Ben and Amanda, encouraged them from the sidelines. Amanda said the boxes were their favorite activity so far, but they also enjoyed learning how animals like the red panda are trained with food.

At a nearby table, children played with tough plastic balls and boxes pockmarked from bites and scratches. These toys allow animals to build their dexterity and stay mentally engaged.

Such programming was not always the norm. Don Moore, a senior scientist at the Smithsonian National Zoo, said in a phone interview that he came of age when zoos were just realizing they needed to change. "In the 1980s and 1990s and even early 2000s we had a renaissance of zoos in North America and we built in environmental enrichment," he said.

The zoo's Dowgwillo said, "We've always done enrichment here. We now have a comprehensive program that's 35 pages long."

The zoo regularly sends zookeepers to Wheeling, Va., for training. Activities are targeted to each species, and even to individuals as much as possible, especially for highly intelligent animals such as primates and elephants.

Mammals get most of the attention, but even fish and invertebrates benefit from enrichment. Friday night at the Milwaukee Public Museum, author Sy Montgomery spoke about the mysterious intelligence of the giant Pacific octopus. In an interview before the lecture, Montgomery said what octopuses really love to play with are toys.

"The same ones we use for our children," such as Mr. Potato Head and Lego, she said.

Enrichment is not just for wild animals. "You can do this at home if you've got pets at home," Moore said. Balls and KONG toys filled with food engage dogs. Laser pointers or feathered wands help exercise cats and encourage natural hunting behavior.

Most animal scientists try to avoid describing how animals feel; it's murky territory. But happiness is what a lot of animal enrichment ultimately comes down to.

"I'm going to use the word happy. As a professional animal behavior scientist, somebody's probably going to shoot me," Moore laughed.