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Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration program for San Diego County high school juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and Institute for Conservation Research, learn about their jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventure here on the Zoo’s website!
Jessica Sheftel, an enrichment supervisor at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, visited the interns this week. All the animals at the Zoo are given good care because of all the enrichment they receive. Enrichment is the process of creating a challenging and stimulating environment to help channel boredom or stress into more positive outlets. Ms. Sheftel creates activities that make their environment more like it would be at home in the wild. These enrichment activities increase animal movement, stimulate their minds, and even improve the success of breeding of endangered species.
Ms. Sheftel’s job requires her to enrich all animals, from huge elephants to tiny squirrel monkeys. One of Ms.Sheftel’s favorite animals to enrich is the tiger. Tigers are voracious predators and hunt many different types of prey. To reenact the hunting process, Ms. Sheftel ties chunks of meat to trees in their enclosures, which dangle many feet above the ground.This requires tigers to solve problems like they would do in the wild. Due to this type of enrichment, tigers spend a long time figuring out a practical way to reach their food. First, the tigers pounce at the suspended meat, which is out of their reach. When the tigers climb the tree, they fall a little short but are still determined to find a correct way to get their dinner. Finally, the tigers use the nearby tree to support themselves by standing upright, and this works wonderfully. The tigers reach the chunks of meat and rip them off of the dangling rope. Tigers are relatively easy to enrich compared to the slow moving and sluggish koalas. Koalas conserve energy by sleeping 18 to 22 hours a day. One idea that Ms. Sheftel may use to enrich the koalas in Australian Outback at the San Diego Zoo is to connect the individual trees with ropes to allow the koalas to move from tree to tree like they would in the wild.
Enrichment is not just for wild animals; pets like dogs and cats also need enrichment. Ms. Sheftel does not leave her great enrichment ideas at the zoo. She has a dog at home that needs constant enrichment. Her dog devours its food too quickly, which is not healthy for any animal. To solve this problem, Ms. Sheftel uses “slow feeders”, a device found online or in pet stores that contains a series of grooves at the bottom of the bowl. The grooves drastically slow down the eating process and allow the dog to eat in a more healthy way. A simple tennis ball placed inside the bowl could also be used. The tennis ball acts as the grooves on the “slow feeders” and allows your dog to push the ball around to access the food. This simple but effective solution enriches your pet by feeding it safely and slows down the feeding process to help the dog’s digestion.
Another practical way to enrich your pet is by giving them puzzles to solve. Like humans, your pets need to use their mind to stimulate different parts of their brain. If you are gone most of the day, it is good to give your pet meaningful puzzles and games. If your dog is restless, gets bored easily, or barks too much, providing mental stimulation can help make your dog calmer because it suddenly feels like it has a job. Puzzles reduce stress, anxiety, and keeps pets happier. A simple puzzle to give to your dog is one you can make in minutes out of recyclables. An empty oatmeal box can be reused to make an effective feeding game. The game is simple. Your dog rolls the oatmeal box with its nose or paws until treats pop out of holes in the box as a reward for your pet’s persistence and problem solving.
DIY Feeding Game
Step 1. Reuse an empty oatmeal box as the base for the toy.
Step 2. Cut approximately 10 small circles, each about 1 centimeter long, out of the sides of the oatmeal box with scissors. (You may need help from a parent for this step.)
Step 3. Place small treats inside the oatmeal box. The treats must be small enough to fit in the centimeter size circles.
Step 4. Allow your pet to smell inside the oatmeal box before closing the lid.
Step 5. Place the filled oatmeal box on level ground to allow the oatmeal box to roll.
Step 6. Watch your pet solve the problem to get to the treats inside.
Kris, Kid's Corner
Week Four, Fall Session 2016
Jessica Sheftel, an enrichment supervisor at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, visited the interns this week. All the animals at the Zoo are given good care because of all the enrichment they receive. Enrichment is the process of creating a challenging and stimulating environment to help channel boredom or stress into more positive outlets. Ms. Sheftel creates activities that make their environment more like it would be at home in the wild. These enrichment activities increase animal movement, stimulate their minds, and even improve the success of breeding of endangered species.
Ms. Sheftel’s job requires her to enrich all animals, from huge elephants to tiny squirrel monkeys. One of Ms.Sheftel’s favorite animals to enrich is the tiger. Tigers are voracious predators and hunt many different types of prey. To reenact the hunting process, Ms. Sheftel ties chunks of meat to trees in their enclosures, which dangle many feet above the ground.This requires tigers to solve problems like they would do in the wild. Due to this type of enrichment, tigers spend a long time figuring out a practical way to reach their food. First, the tigers pounce at the suspended meat, which is out of their reach. When the tigers climb the tree, they fall a little short but are still determined to find a correct way to get their dinner. Finally, the tigers use the nearby tree to support themselves by standing upright, and this works wonderfully. The tigers reach the chunks of meat and rip them off of the dangling rope. Tigers are relatively easy to enrich compared to the slow moving and sluggish koalas. Koalas conserve energy by sleeping 18 to 22 hours a day. One idea that Ms. Sheftel may use to enrich the koalas in Australian Outback at the San Diego Zoo is to connect the individual trees with ropes to allow the koalas to move from tree to tree like they would in the wild.
Enrichment is not just for wild animals; pets like dogs and cats also need enrichment. Ms. Sheftel does not leave her great enrichment ideas at the zoo. She has a dog at home that needs constant enrichment. Her dog devours its food too quickly, which is not healthy for any animal. To solve this problem, Ms. Sheftel uses “slow feeders”, a device found online or in pet stores that contains a series of grooves at the bottom of the bowl. The grooves drastically slow down the eating process and allow the dog to eat in a more healthy way. A simple tennis ball placed inside the bowl could also be used. The tennis ball acts as the grooves on the “slow feeders” and allows your dog to push the ball around to access the food. This simple but effective solution enriches your pet by feeding it safely and slows down the feeding process to help the dog’s digestion.
Another practical way to enrich your pet is by giving them puzzles to solve. Like humans, your pets need to use their mind to stimulate different parts of their brain. If you are gone most of the day, it is good to give your pet meaningful puzzles and games. If your dog is restless, gets bored easily, or barks too much, providing mental stimulation can help make your dog calmer because it suddenly feels like it has a job. Puzzles reduce stress, anxiety, and keeps pets happier. A simple puzzle to give to your dog is one you can make in minutes out of recyclables. An empty oatmeal box can be reused to make an effective feeding game. The game is simple. Your dog rolls the oatmeal box with its nose or paws until treats pop out of holes in the box as a reward for your pet’s persistence and problem solving.
DIY Feeding Game
Step 1. Reuse an empty oatmeal box as the base for the toy.
Step 2. Cut approximately 10 small circles, each about 1 centimeter long, out of the sides of the oatmeal box with scissors. (You may need help from a parent for this step.)
Step 3. Place small treats inside the oatmeal box. The treats must be small enough to fit in the centimeter size circles.
Step 4. Allow your pet to smell inside the oatmeal box before closing the lid.
Step 5. Place the filled oatmeal box on level ground to allow the oatmeal box to roll.
Step 6. Watch your pet solve the problem to get to the treats inside.
Kris, Kid's Corner
Week Four, Fall Session 2016
