Seoul Grand Park

Animal welfare story

The zoo runs a daily behavioral enrichment program for animals.
On the Day of Behavioral Enrichment, observe the behavior of animals through videos taken by zookeepers.

Introduction to Behavioral Enrichment Program

Behavioral enrichment is an animal husbandry principle that seeks to enhance the quality of captive animal care in the limited space of a zoo
by identifying and providing the environmental stimuli necessary for optimal psychological and physiological well-being. Enrichment program was developed to increase desirable and normal behaviors for a given species and to decrease undesirable behavior,
while reducing stress and therefore promotes overall encourage species appropriate behaviors,
from finding food, to guarding territories and avoiding predators to settling down. Types of enrichment programs are as follows, and more than two types can be overlapped in application.

01 Environmental Enrichment

The program enriches or enhances the level of physical and social stimulation provided by the captive environment.

Provide the animal with mud or sand pit or pool areas where they can bathe
Plant plants and trees, real or artificial
Install shades
Install intricately connected ropes at varying heights and locations
Install flooring materials that can stimulate olfactory or tactile senses

Outdoor field built for orangutans

02 Food Enrichment

The most widely used enrichment gives a variety of ways for animals to eat food. Keepers can present an animal's normal diet as well as new food items in a variety of ways such as in a puzzle feeder, hidden, buried or scattered throughout the enclosure, or in frozen ice treats.

Scatter food throughout the enclosure
Use a puzzle feeder
Change the location of feeding stations

Giant anteater hunting ants in trees with its long tongue

03 Social Enrichment

The program stimulates the animal’s social behaviors and feelings.

House a group of conspecifics (social group) suitable for the species
House animals of different species that they would encounter in the wild

Meerkats in social groups

04 Sensory Enrichment

The program aims to enrich any of the five senses, sight, sound, touch, smell and taste.

Stimulate olfactory senseUse the scent of other animals, spices, herbs or fragrance
Stimulate auditory senseUse the sound heard in the wild habitat, the sound made by predators or the same species, music, etc.
Stimulate visual senseDisplay predators-preys (wolves-deer), use colorful objects
Stimulate tactile senseUse objects of various materials, flooring materials and food of different textures

Lions rolling in elephants’ and elands’ dung

05 Cognitive Enrichment

The program provides opportunities for animals to stimulate and improve cognitive skills, related to the animal’s wellbeing.

Offer new experiences, such as new food, objects, scent, etc.
Use a puzzle feeder

Orangutans experiencing newness with new objects

06 Play Enrichment

The program aims to make the environment more playful, activity-filled and stress-free.

Offer fun toys, such as Boomer balls, chewable items, etc.
Install a hammock

Tigers at play with balls

Positive Reinforcement Training in a Zoo Setting

Positive reinforcement training is used to condition the animals,
for repeated positive appraisals “controlled experimental conditions” in most animals result in positive behaviors. By offering what the animal like (food, petting or playing, etc.),
the zoo keeper can increase his chances of more easily controlling its behaviors The trained animal would, for example, voluntarily take part in its health check-up.

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