Animal enrichment

We take great care to make sure our animals are medically and physically fit and mentally stimulated.

Like other zoos around the world, we want to recreate natural habitats as much as possible so our animals feel at home in the zoo.

This includes giving animals tasks to keep them active, for example, scattering food and allowing them to forage naturally for it.

We also hide food, hang it from trees or freeze produce in ice blocks to make the animals work for their food, just as they would in the wild.

This is an example of what zoo experts call 'environmental enrichment'.

For more active and intelligent animals, such as chimpanzees, we provide lots of stimuli, such as our artificial termite mound, which allows them to use tools like straws to find food.

Other examples of how we have improved the environment for our animals include:

• providing living and artificial trees to climb, swing on and feed in
• bushes and shrubs to hide in, catch food in and rest under
• shallow ponds to wade in
• clear, deep pools to swim and dive in
• sun lamps to bask under
• grassy expanses to graze on
• quiet places for rest and relaxation.

We also try to keep animals in the group sizes they are used to in the wild.

This involves housing animals on their own, where necessary, in pairs or families or as large, extended groups.