Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden animal enrichment

Keepers at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden create enrichment activities to build relationships with the animals, which makes it easier to perform medical tests or administer medicine.

Section:Gallery

Wed., June 5, 2019

In this March 6, 2019 photo, Isla, a tamandua, uses her long snout and tongue to retrieve insects out of a tube in the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden's animal ambassador center in Cincinnati. Even though this doesn't look like something they would find in the wild, it mimics what they would do to find food.

Meg Vogel The Cincinnati Enquirer
Shakira, a meerkat, suns herself on a log in the meerkat exhibit on April 16, 2019, at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden in Cincinnati.

Meg Vogel Ap
In this April 16, 2019 photo, Louis, a meerkat, removes insects from plastic bottles as part of an enrichment activity at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden in Cincinnati. This enrichment activity helps the meerkats with their foraging skills.

Meg Vogel The Cincinnati Enquirer
In this April 16, 2019 photo, Meerkats Shakira, Mark and Louis remove insects from plastic bottles as part of an enrichment activity at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden in Cincinnati. Even though this doesn't look like something they would find in the wild, it mimics what they would do to find food. Senior Africa keeper Jenna Wingate said, "It is a lot of mental stimulation for them."

Meg Vogel The Cincinnati Enquirer
In this April 16, 2019 photo, senior Africa keeper Jenna Wingate sits in the meerkat exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden in Cincinnati. Wingate has worked for years to build a relationship with the meerkats and earn their trust.

Meg Vogel The Cincinnati Enquirer
In this April 16, 2019 photo, John, the lion, follows head Africa keeper Wendy Rice, during a training session at Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden in Cincinnati. John the lion received meatballs as positive reinforcement.

Meg Vogel The Cincinnati Enquirer
In this April 16, 2019 photo, Dan Turoczi, a senior Africa keeper, pets Rose, an ostrich, after a medical test at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden in Cincinnati. Keepers create enrichment activities to build relationships with the animals, which makes it easier to perform medical tests or administer medicine.

Meg Vogel The Cincinnati Enquirer