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Using Inexpensive Feeding Equipment and Techniques for
Primate Enrichment
LINDA PASTORELLO
The author recounts her successful
experiences in enriching the lives of captive primates through the use of
inexpensive food puzzles that challenge foraging skills and through the use of a
diverse diet.
For the psychological well-being of zoo
animals, it is important to provide some of the natural things missing in their
lives. Their natural habits and intelligence suggests a greater need for
stimulation (Maple & Finlay, 1984; & Sheperdson, 1988). Keeping in mind
that primates in the wild spend a great deal of their waking hours finding,
manipulating, and eating food (Maple & Finlay, 1984; & Reinhardt, 1994),
we have found a number of inexpensive ways to enrich their lives through food,
in the following ways, so that they can spend more time retrieving their food
than they do eating it:
2.
A diverse diet helps to lessen the monotony of the zoo schedule.
We try to make certain they never know what they will find as they forage
through their exhibit. 3.
Use of jug puzzles. In addition to feeding devices, these jugs
give the captive individuals something to throw when angry and hold onto when
they are scared. We receive lots of plastic jugs left over from the zoo
restaurant which are free and easily cleaned. We have found them to be excellent
for their regular feeding by cutting holes in the sides of the jugs. The size
and number depend on the type of food to be used. All of the following jug
puzzles will work with any primate who cannot get the cap off and will not eat
the plastic. We experienced them working well with Debrazza, Diana, and Colobus
monkeys, Siamangs, and Lemurs. Here are some details on how we have learned to
use them: A.
Loosely hanging them in or on the sides of the exhibit in an
upright position and placing part of their diet inside is a quickly set-up
challenge. They must manipulate the jug around to dump out the food. The larger
the pieces of food, the greater the task to retrieve it. B.
Hanging a jug on the side or just outside the exhibit with a hole
just large enough for the primate hand near the top. Here, the primate must put
his or her hand into the hole and fish around the bottom of the jug in order to
get the food. Adding something they need to forage through also works well.
Another hole made in the back of the jug makes easy access for the keepers to
add food while the primates are still on exhibit. C.
Even when simply placed in the exhibit, jugs give the primates
something to throw when angry and something to hold onto when scared. D.
With a few minor adjustments, we turned jugs into something for
them to manipulate for receiving food. By cutting holes in the sides of the
jugs, (size and number dependent on the type of food to be used) the jugs turned
into captivating food dispensers. We found if the holes are made just large
enough to let the food through with a little help from the primate, they are
most effective and keep interest high and frustration tolerances low. These jugs
can work for almost any diet. For example we have used them for monkey chow,
Muzuri enriched bits, crickets, and mealworms. All of the jug ideas worked well
when implemented with Debrazza, Diana, and Colobus monkeys, Siamangs, and
Lemurs. Any primate that cannot get the cap off and will not eat the plastic is
a good candidate for these jugs. These jugs can also be modified for the larger,
more manipulative primates or for exhibits needing a more naturalistic
appearance is desired. For example, a short log with a large hole drilled in the
center and the top screwed back on can work well. 4. Permanent mesh boxes with a
small hole, attached to the exhibit also make an interesting puzzle. Unlike the
jug the animals cannot throw it around so they must manipulate the chow (or
small pieces of fruit) to the opening with the tips of their fingers through the
mesh. Having many of these around the exhibit adds much time to food retrieval
since the primate must spend considerable time for one piece of chow and then
move to another box and start all over again. 4. Hanging buckets with different kinds of lids can be fun. The primates either have to lift, slide, turn or otherwise manoeuvre the lid to get to the food inside. Dividing the interior of the bucket so the lid must be manipulated several times to get to the different sections adds to the challenge. Changing the buckets every few days presents differing tasks to the primates. To keep this as simple as possible permanent ropes are hung in the exhibit with a clip on the end. The different buckets are made with a metal ring on the top that can be easily clipped to the ropes and then exchanged for another puzzle. We also use hanging plastic milk crates that are exchangeable from day-to-day, and in summer, containers of flavoured ice that slowly drips throughout the day. The suggestions mentioned above are just a few simple, inexpensive ways to add some challenge to the lives of captive primates. It has been shown in many species, including primates, that they will choose to work on puzzles rather than eating the food from a nonchallenging bowl (Quick, 1984). Spreading the food around also can make it more challenging to eat as well as makes it difficult for an individual to dominate the food. It may also decrease the need to separate the animals for feeding, thereby allowing the public witness more natural feeding behaviours of the individuals. The most effective thing, we find, is to keep things challenging, novel, and always changing. 5.
When a particular individual becomes proficient with a certain
device, we give it to another primate, and give the first one something new.
After awhile, we give the old puzzles back to them and see how well they do
after a prolonged absence. Primates are very complicated beings, whose natural
environments are very complex. They need to be challenged, not just physically,
but mentally, during their stay in captivity (Shepardson, 1988) - a real
challenge to the creativity of all humans involved with their care. REFERENCES:
Linda Pastorello B. S. |
