Environmental Enrichment

Primates are inquisitive creatures that use their large brains to solve problems in their environment. For example, they must decide when and where to look for food, who to interact with, and who to avoid. When under human care, many decisions are made for them. However, Behavioral Management Staff fill that gap by developing and providing the animals with tools and devices, commonly known as Environmental Enrichment that serve as outlets for them to express natural behaviors. The goal of environmental enrichment is to enhance the biological functioning of the animals. The species, age, temperament, and housing conditions are all factors used to determine the enrichment items that are best suited for individual animals. Macaques and titi monkeys spend much of their day foraging for food in complex and ever-changing environments. Behavioral Management Staff seek ways to increase the time the animals spend foraging and feeding and the environment's social and physical complexity. A large variety of items are employed, such as puzzle feeders that require the animals to manipulate objects to extract food, forage boards, toys, purchase, climbing structures, swimming pools (rhesus macaques are excellent swimmers!), an array of fruit and vegetables, as well as nuts and seeds that are scattered throughout the enclosure. Toys, perches, and enrichment devices provide novelty, change, and variations in textures. Environmental enrichment enables nonhuman primates to achieve better control over their environment and promotes the expression of species-typical behaviors. All environmental enrichment items go through a rigorous approval process whereby their safety and efficacy are assessed before their use.