COAPE International have partnered with Johannesburg Zoo to develop and implement a comprehensive enrichment program, designed to help the animals, birds and reptiles in the zoo to fulfil natural behaviour repertoires. For example, animals are fed in ways that encourage them to search for, handle and process their food in similar ways as in the wild rather than simply feeding daily rations in boring containers. Environments are enriched with a varying assortment of challenges and amusements to engage to animals’ interest and curiosity, which makes their lives more fun and observing them more interesting for visitors.
The enrichment program includes:
- Play enrichment: Toys and social contact are used as a form of enrichment.
- Social enrichment: Encourages social contact as a form of enrichment.
- Cognitive enrichment: Puzzles to solve, in order to get treats or food, keeps animals stimulated.
- Sensory enrichment: Tends to the animals auditory, olfactory, taste and tactile sensory needs.
- Food enrichment: Encourages more natural food acquisition behaviours.
- Environmental enrichment: Changes made to enclosures to make them more stimulating and interesting.
8th of July 2019, Johannesburg Zoo, Wild Dog enrichment
We were at The Johannesburg Zoo today to have a look at an installation in the African Wild Dog enclosure.
RAE Safaris has sponsored this installation in conjunction with COAPE International as part of their zoo enrichment program.
Thank you Riaan and all at Reco Industrial Wildlife Management for the incredible construction work.
The device is essentially a pulley system that will simulate the movement of prey and will be the food delivery mechanism for these large, endangered canids.
We are resolute in our determination to improve the quality of life in captive wildlife populations as well as those occupying the ever dwindling wilderness regions of Africa.