Enrichment Strategies for Spotted Hyenas: Sensory and Food-Based Enrichment
Enrichment can come in many forms and we are only limited by our own creativity. In general, enrichment is classified into 5 categories:
Food-Based
Social
Physical
Sensory &
Cognitive
For this Discussion, recommend a type of enrichment from 2 of the 5 categories above that could be incorporated into your behavior modification plan. In 300-400 words, in complete, concise sentences describe the enrichment, how the animal is intended to interact with the enrichment tools, how these will help change a specific behavior, and how you hope these would impact the welfare of the animal.
Include a photo or video of the enrichment devices in use, even if it is with an animal other than your focal species.
Include citations, using APA Style, from scientific literature to support your explanations.
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Animal enrichment strategies encompass a multifaceted array of inventive approaches, meticulously crafted to evoke innate behavioral patterns and substantially augment holistic wellness, encompassing physical, cognitive, social, sensory, and food-based facets of creatures residing within controlled environments. In this paper, we shall discuss two enrichment strategies for spotted hyenas, namely, sensory and food-based enrichment.
Firstly, sensory enrichment pertains to the deliberate introduction of diverse stimuli or experiences to elicit heightened engagement and stimulation of an animal's sensory faculties, thereby elevating its overall well-being and cognitive arousal. These stimuli encompass a broad spectrum of sensory inputs, including visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, and gustatory senses (Joseph, 2019).
Figure 1
An Example of a Plastic Ball in a Pool
Note. From “White and multicolored beach ball” by Biscaldi, R., 2017 Unsplash.