Join the Montgomery Zoo Saturday, September 7, 10am – 3pm, for Animal Enrichment Day.  Join a tour of the Zoo during our enrichment event and observe how animals respond to an assortment of new creative and behavior-stimulating enrichment items.  We will visit over 20 different animals displays during the course of the event, and see what transpires and what we learn.  

Enrichment is all about providing our animals with both physical and cognitive stimuli that is natural to their behavior in the wild. Virtual or not, we will remain true to that methodology.  Animal enrichment is not always about providing a reward or a treat. The goal is to try to stimulate a behavior that would normally be found naturally in that species. So foraging animals would find searching for nuts, seeds, fruits, as a good enrichment; however, providing the same item to a predator may result negatively.    

At the Montgomery Zoo, we house a variety of species, of all different shapes and sizes, from all over the world. To guarantee that these animals have the best care possible, we ensure they have a clean habitat, fresh food and water, and that they are receiving the proper healthcare needed. We also offer the animals plenty of what the zoological field calls enrichment. Enrichment can be defined as anything that improves or enhances the quality and value of the animals’ lives. The goal in offering animals enrichment is to encourage natural behaviors and entice them to interact with new and exciting objects that will stimulate them physically and mentally. Enrichment can be categorized as sensory, social, cognitive, physical habitat, or food related. Some examples of enrichment are puzzle feeders, spices, sounds, browse (plant material), new benches/perches, and even zookeeper/animal training.

The needs of the animals can be as unique as the animal itself. Some animals need to be stimulated mentally for instance primates. In the wild, primates will use “tools” to help them achieve tasks such as finding food or retrieving insects out of dirt mounds or trees. Other animals need to be stimulated physically to make sure they are staying in shape and healthy. We can offer them fun toys that encourage them to run, jump, swim, or climb to get them moving. Some animals have extraordinary senses: such as sight, smell, or hearing.  If an animal has a really good sense of smell we can hide fun scents for them to search for and find.

Zookeepers give the animals enrichment daily, but we also have special events called Enrichment Days where the public get to see animals interact with enrichment up close and personal. Even humans can be enriched, and what better way to do so than to come out and see amazing animals having fun. So make sure you mark your calendars, you do not want to miss it! 

Animal Enrichment Day schedule

10am: Flamingos / South American Aviary - Reading Rainbow

10:15am: Snow Leopard - Dr. Seuss

10:30am: Komodo Dragon - Three Little Pigs

10:45am: Hippo (nursery exhibit) - Hungry Hungry Hippo

11am: Maned Wolves - The Lorax

11:15am: Reptile House Turtles/Tortoises -Tortoise and the Hare

11:30am: Otters - Jurassic World 

11:45am: Condor - Jurassic Park

12-1: LUNCH BREAK for guests and animals

1pm: Cheetahs - Treasure Island

1:15pm: Africa Savanna hoofstock - Peter Pan

1:30pm: Chimpanzees - Alice in Wonderland

1:45pm: Rhino - One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

2pm: Tiger - Jungle Book

2:15pm: Hippo (near sky lift takeoff and landing) - A Very Hungry Caterpillar

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For more information, please contact: 
     -- (334) 625-4900
     -- zooinfo@montgomeryal.gov.