The Honolulu Zoo's
Animal Environmental Enrichment Program

The goal of the Honolulu Zoo's Environmental Enrichment Program is to involve all staff members; including keepers, curators and volunteers, in a zoo-wide program of effective environmental enrichment. We try to maintain the highest standards of animal welfare, where animals are healthy, active and exhibit a wide diversity of behaviors. Enrichment is becoming part of daily animal care on par with feeding and cleaning.

Environmental enrichment improves or enhances zoo environments for animals, stimulating them to investigate and interact with their surroundings. We enrich animal environments by making changes to structures in their enclosures, presenting novel objects and smells for them to investigate and explore, and by changing how we present food to them. Doing all of these things alleviates boredom by giving animals more choice of activity.

It encourages them to forage, hunt and handle their food in ways that are natural to them in the wild.  The traditional method of feeding zoo animals out of a feed pan does little to stimulate complex feeding behaviors.  Enrichment keeps zoo animals active and interested in their environment.

For these reasons, enrichment improves animal welfare. It also enhances the public's experience of animals. And, for the endangered species we breed in the zoo, enrichment can help reduce stress and promote successful reproduction. 

Photo/Video Gallery

• Animal Enrichment Fire Hose Ball Weaving
• Animal Food Enrichment Recipes
• Black Howler Monkey
• Big Cat Day Video
• Bird Sanctuary Video
• Burmese Python Video
• Chimp (Frozen Fruit)
• Chimp (Foraging)
• Chimp (Termite Mound)
• Christmas with the Animals 2000
• Christmas with the Animals 2001
• Christmas with the Animals 2002 Videos
• Christmas with the Animals 2003
• Christmas with the Animals 2004 Videos
• Francois Monkey (Banana Stalk)
• Francois Monkey (Feeder Mop)
• Easter Egg Hunt & Enrichment
• Elephant (Beer Barrel Treats)
• Elephant Feast Video
• Firehose Browse Hanger Instructions
• Enrichment Video Collection
• Giraffe Treat Jar Enrichment
• Hippopotamus Video
• Lemur Bridge Enrichment
• Lemur Video
• Operant Conditioning Terms
• Patas Monkey (Boomer ball)
• Patas Monkey (Foraging)
• Rusti Orangutan Christmas 2004 Enrichment
• Rusti Orangutan Video
• Sun Bear
• Sun Bear Coconut Opening
• Serval
• Spider Monkey (Flooded Exhibit)
• Tiger (Djelita's Birthday)
• Tiger (Bone Iceberg)
• Tiger (Animal Scents)
• Tiger (Plain Planet Ball)
• Tiger (Meat filled sack video)
• White Rhino
• White Rhino Video
• White-handed Gibbon (Feeder Ball)
• White-handed Gibbon (Hammock)
• White-handed Gibbon/Siamang

Mahalo to all the keepers and volunteers who are involved in these activities!

Enrichment Web Links

http://www.enrichmentonline.org/	Enrichment Online has hundreds of tested enrichment methods at your fingertips and you can share your own ideas with animal care managers around the world.
http://enrich.org/aazk/	Website of AAZK lists resources, offers a video library, but currently building and enrichment notebook.
www.arkanimals.com/E/Enrich.html	A basic overview of enrichment and some generalized enrichment ideas (not by species).
Environmental Enrichment Scrapbook www.well.com/user/abs/dbs/eesb/	Gives some enrichment ideas by species, and asks for you to share your ideas. Currently very limited but it may grow.
Shape of Enrichment www.enrichment.org	Website of newsletter SHAPE of ENRICHMENT. Has titles of all back issues but not the text.
www.aza.org/members/zoolinks www.aza.org/ForEveryone/enrichment/	AZA's website offers links to various Taxon Advisory Groups that have developed husbandry guidelines. You need to be an AZA member to access the members portion but the second link is for everyone.
ANIMAL ENRICHMENT PROGRAM  Disney's Animal Kingdom THEME PARK www.csew.com/enrich/default.asp	Building on decades of commitment by keepers, curators, veterinarians, and scientists at zoos and aquariums around the world, the initial content of this web site was compiled and developed at Disneys Animal Kingdom Theme Park.
Annotated Bibliography on Environmental Enrichment for Nonhuman Primates Fourth Edition, January 2003	This bibliography offers practical information on techniques which promote the expression of species-appropriate behavioral and mental activities in captive nonhuman primates.
http://primate-enrichment.net/	This web site is for sharing ideas and projects to enrich the lives of captive nonhuman primates. This site provides step-by-step instructions for designing and creating novel enrichment activities yourself.