Gary Michael, Bird Curator:
"Cranes like pumpkins and pump-
kin seeds as a treat. Passerines
(commonly referred to as perching
birds or songbirds) like string, cloth,
paper, cardboard and exploring
wooden spools with their beaks"
Alexis Williamson, Gorilla For-
est keeper: "In spring, our keepers
color whole melons to look like
Easter eggs. The hippos love to roll
them around and eat them. The
gorillas enjoy unrolling and playing
with rolls of paper towels we attach
to high places inside Gorilla Forest.
It’s a mess to clean up but so much
fun to watch!"
Stephanie Green, Glacier Run
keeper: "Qannik the polar bear
loves flavored ice treats with a fish
and a dollop of peanut butter in the
middle. Yum!"
When considering an enrich-
ment activity, keepers consider the
animal’s natural behaviors and in-
terests. For example, what and how
does each animal eat? Are they
meat eaters, like tigers, that hunt
with teeth and claws? Are they
plant eaters, like giraffes, that can
reach way up high with long necks
and tongues? Do they have hands
that explore and pick things up? Do
they have beaks that strain water
or peck into holes for bugs? Do the
animals run, fly, swim or crawl? All
of these questions help our keep-
ers decide what may make a great
enrichment item.
You can see that enrichment is a
fantastic way to really liven up an
animal’s day! Keeping in the spirit
of the season, we’d like to invite
you to join in on the enrichment
fun. Give a gift to your favorite Zoo
animal from our Enrichment Tree
(more information on page 18). Last
year, the animals received fun gifts
like paper lawn bags, small boomer
balls, extracts, spices and ice molds.
We even had a class make enrich-
ment items for our animals as a
school project. Tackle an item on
your own or invite your friends and
family to join in on the fun.
Find out what’s on our animals’
wish lists this year at LouisvilleZoo.
org/enrichment_tree. Happy holi-
days!
Louisville Zoo Trunkline • Winter 2016 • 17