Mahendra Chaudhury Zoological Park has started 'Animal Enrichment' programme on an experimental basis to keep animals away from psychological disorders and help them stay healthy and fit and away from the gloom of confinement.
Manish Kumar, field director of the zoo, said "enrichment is technically defined as the act or process of increasing the intellectual or spiritual resources. It is achieved in the zoo by adding items or by changing the enclosure of a captive animal to give it a feel of a new environment." The purpose is to modify the environment in an effort to stimulate the effect of the wild for a particular species in accordance with their niche in the wild.
"Sand, mud, rotting wood, dried leaves and litter might not appeal to the taste of the humans visiting the zoo but for a wild animal it is perfect play ground. Animals need opportunities to run around and hunt for food which in a way replicates their natural habitat. Enrichment keeps animals mentally and physically healthy," added Kumar.
The zoo authorities are implementing this programme with the help of Wild life of India. Two research scholars from WlI are here at the zoo to guide the local staff and are constantly monitoring the behavioural change in the animals where the enrichment programme has been introduced. "We have selected two enclosures for mammals like elephant and black bear initially and have started with food enrichment. In this effort we are feeding the animals in a variety of ways like feeding, hunting, foraging and problem-solving strategies to facilitate behavioural conditioning," said Kumar.
Big dry trees are placed at two or three places in the elephant enclosure and food grains are placed in pots near the tree stumps and the rest of the food is hidden. The pachyderms in turn have to work their way to get the big reward by searching the food which in turn keeps them busy instead of making them stand at one place. This makes them active and is also a good spectacle for the visitors who enjoy their crazy food search.
Similarly, 3 ft long pipes have been fixed at different places in the enclosure housing the black bears and are filled with various goodies for the animal. The bears in turn have to move around the enclosure to explore their feed which keeps them active and in an elated state of mind. Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park is housing six elephants, one male and five females and 11 black bears in different enclosures. The zoo is planning to make environmental enrichment devices which will include browse, large and small branches, wood wool, hay and flowers which will be kept in a clean environment to avoid bacterial growth.
"It is a time taking project which cannot be implemented in a jiffy for all kind of animals. Hence species are being selected carefully as suggested by the experts. The behavioural conditioning of the animals will be monitored by the experts and details about particular enrichment program and its implementation will be recorded," said Kumar. These records will provide a summary of the animal's responses to the enrichment programme to prioritise safety and the way animal's mood is stimulated by the implementation of the programme.