Second Nature: Environmental Enrichment for Captive Animals
Growing recognition of the complexity of animals' physical, social, and psychological lives in the wild has led both zookeepers and the zoo-going public to call for higher environmental standards for animals in captivity.

Bringing together the work of animal behaviorists, zoo biologists, and psychologists, Second Nature explores a range of innovative strategies for environmental enrichment in laboratories and marine parks, as well as in zoos. From artificial fleeing-prey devices for leopards to irregular feeding schedules for whales, the practices discussed have resulted in healthier, more relaxed animals that can breed more easily and can exert some control over their environments. Moving beyond the usual studies of primates to consider the requirements of animals as diverse as reptiles, amphibians, marine mammals, small cats, hooved grazers, and bears, contributors argue that whether an animal forages in the wild or plays computer games in captivity, the satisfaction its activity provides—rather than the activity itself—determines the animal's level of physical and psychological well-being.

Second Nature also discusses the ways in which environmental enrichment can help zoo-bred animals develop the stamina and adaptability for survival in the wild, and how it can produce healthier lab animals that yield more valid test results. Providing a theoretical framework for the science of environmental enrichment in a variety of settings, the book renews and extends a humane approach to the keeping and conservation of animals.
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Second Nature: Environmental Enrichment for Captive Animals
Growing recognition of the complexity of animals' physical, social, and psychological lives in the wild has led both zookeepers and the zoo-going public to call for higher environmental standards for animals in captivity.

Bringing together the work of animal behaviorists, zoo biologists, and psychologists, Second Nature explores a range of innovative strategies for environmental enrichment in laboratories and marine parks, as well as in zoos. From artificial fleeing-prey devices for leopards to irregular feeding schedules for whales, the practices discussed have resulted in healthier, more relaxed animals that can breed more easily and can exert some control over their environments. Moving beyond the usual studies of primates to consider the requirements of animals as diverse as reptiles, amphibians, marine mammals, small cats, hooved grazers, and bears, contributors argue that whether an animal forages in the wild or plays computer games in captivity, the satisfaction its activity provides—rather than the activity itself—determines the animal's level of physical and psychological well-being.

Second Nature also discusses the ways in which environmental enrichment can help zoo-bred animals develop the stamina and adaptability for survival in the wild, and how it can produce healthier lab animals that yield more valid test results. Providing a theoretical framework for the science of environmental enrichment in a variety of settings, the book renews and extends a humane approach to the keeping and conservation of animals.
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Second Nature: Environmental Enrichment for Captive Animals

Second Nature: Environmental Enrichment for Captive Animals

Second Nature: Environmental Enrichment for Captive Animals

Second Nature: Environmental Enrichment for Captive Animals

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Overview

Growing recognition of the complexity of animals' physical, social, and psychological lives in the wild has led both zookeepers and the zoo-going public to call for higher environmental standards for animals in captivity.

Bringing together the work of animal behaviorists, zoo biologists, and psychologists, Second Nature explores a range of innovative strategies for environmental enrichment in laboratories and marine parks, as well as in zoos. From artificial fleeing-prey devices for leopards to irregular feeding schedules for whales, the practices discussed have resulted in healthier, more relaxed animals that can breed more easily and can exert some control over their environments. Moving beyond the usual studies of primates to consider the requirements of animals as diverse as reptiles, amphibians, marine mammals, small cats, hooved grazers, and bears, contributors argue that whether an animal forages in the wild or plays computer games in captivity, the satisfaction its activity provides—rather than the activity itself—determines the animal's level of physical and psychological well-being.

Second Nature also discusses the ways in which environmental enrichment can help zoo-bred animals develop the stamina and adaptability for survival in the wild, and how it can produce healthier lab animals that yield more valid test results. Providing a theoretical framework for the science of environmental enrichment in a variety of settings, the book renews and extends a humane approach to the keeping and conservation of animals.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781588343659
Publisher: Smithsonian Institution Press
Publication date: 01/11/2012
Sold by: Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format: eBook
Pages: 372
File size: 3 MB

About the Author

David J. Shepherdson is program scientist at Metro Washington Park Zoo in Portland, Oregon. Jill D. Mellen is a behavioral scientist at the Walt Disney Animal Program in Orlando, Florida. Michael Hutchins is director of conservation and science for the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, based in Bethesda, Maryland.

Table of Contents

List of Contributorsviii
Forewordxii
Prefacexv
Acknowledgmentsxix
1.Introduction: Tracing the Path of Environmental Enrichment in Zoos1
Part 1Theoretical Bases of Environmental Enrichment
2.Evolution, Ecology, and Enrichment: Basic Considerations for Wild Animals in Zoos15
3.Environmental Enrichment and the Importance of Exploratory Behavior30
4.Power for Captive Animals: Contingencies and Nature47
5.Context, Ethics, and Environmental Enrichment in Zoos and Aquariums59
6.Meeting a Mammal's Psychological Needs: Basic Principles83
Part 2Environmental Enrichment in Animal Conservation and Welfare
7.The Captive Environment and Reintroduction: The Black-Footed Ferret as a Case Study with Comments on Other Taxa97
8.Environmental Enrichment in a Reintroduction Program for Golden Lion Tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia)113
9.Psychological Well-Being of Captive Nonhuman Primates: Lessons from Laboratory Studies129
10.Zoos, Enrichment, and the Skeptical Observer: The Practical Value of Assessment153
11.Determining the Causes of Stereotypic Behaviors in Zoo Carnivores: Toward Appropriate Enrichment Strategies172
12.Captive Environments for Small Felids184
Part 3Environmental Enrichment in Captive Management, Husbandry, and Training
13.Beyond Mammals: Environmental Enrichment for Amphibians and Reptiles205
14.Toward Optimal Care for Confined Ungulates236
15.Enrichment of Captive Mammals through Provisioning262
16.A Veterinary Perspective of Potential Risk Factors in Environmental Enrichment277
17.Positive Reinforcement Training as an Enrichment Strategy302
18.Environmental Enrichment for Marine Mammals at Sea World314
19.Epilogue: The Future of Environmental Enrichment329
Index337
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