Why is environmental enrichment necessary?

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In their natural habitat, animals encounter a wide spectrum of environmental stimuli every day as they carry out the tasks essential for survival. They are “busy” all the time. For their individual survival, they must find food and shelter as well as avoid predators and other hazards. For species survival, they engage in mating and infant-rearing activities. From the moment of birth, animals in the wild develop and refine the skills essential for survival.

Captive animals have the same instincts and the same energetic need to respond to their environment as their counterparts in the wild. However, without the need to engage their environment and struggle for survival, their instincts and repressed energy can manifest itself into obsessive, stereotypic, counterproductive and even self-destructive behaviors.

No matter how ideal, a captive environment can never fully replace the vast range, challenging terrain or dietary authenticity and variety an animal encounters in its natural habitat.

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