Enrichment is a word with which we’re probably all familiar. Simply put, it’s adding a little spice to your day, task, or object. Little did I know that three months into my internship as an animal care intern at CuriOdyssey, I would be living and breathing ways to add “a little spice” to all the animals here. And I love it!

Animal enrichment can be described as enhancing animal environments within the context of their behavior and biology, thus drawing out their species-appropriate behaviors and abilities. Sounds complicated, but it’s very fun and imaginative, especially when you can predict how the animal will react to the enrichment item. Whether it’s a tire placed in an animal exhibit, a box filled with hay, or worms hidden in a basket of dirt, the enrichment goal for animal keepers is to mentally stimulate and challenge the animal.

Why is animal enrichment so important to me? Well, part of my 6-month long internship requires an enrichment project and research paper highlighting findings. I’ve spent many hours contemplating what to build and who to build it for. As an intern, you spend your time getting to know & love the animals, their behaviors, what they like, what they don’t like, etc. I grew a fondness for CuriOdyssey’s Virginia Opossum, Luna, and decided to make a mini enrichment project for her, a trial run for my larger project due next month (which I’m still brainstorming!). As luck would have it, I had a penguin stuffed animal that was collecting dust in my closet. Immediately, I saw an opportunity to cut out holes in the penguin’s stomach and insert some pockets in there. These pockets would be used as food foraging for sweet ol’ Luna. She’d be able to practice her natural sniffing abilities to find prizes (aka worms) in the pockets.

 

I connected Luna with this food forage enrichment project for a few reasons. Opossums are nocturnal animals, which means they spend most of their time out and about in the evening. This contributes to their strong sense of smell. Luna also has a pointed snout and many whiskers. What a perfect opportunity for her to stick her nose into a stuffed penguin’s belly to find some worms! However, there were also other things I had to consider: safety, cleanliness, and usefulness. For safety, I had to remove the beans from the stuffed animal due to choking hazards. For cleanliness, I had to ensure that the fabric used was washable and easily cleaned. For usefulness, I had to think about how Luna would use it and how to make it stimulating for her. In the end, this enrichment project was a success; Luna had a great time and was able to obtain all the worms we placed in the penguin’s pockets.

It’s incredibly fulfilling to build something for an animal with their background in mind. Seeing Luna walk toward the penguin, investigate, sniff around, and ultimately solve the forage puzzle warmed my heart. Animal enrichment is an amazing thing that CuriOdyssey has introduced me to, and I cannot wait to add “a little more spice” to these animals’ lives and habitats during my animal care internship!

Post and photos by: Stephanie Hong, Animal Care Intern