Everyday Enrichment: Making Life More Interesting For Our Avian Residents – Part III
Anyone who has been lucky enough to visit the Houston Zoo recently has most likely gotten a glimpse of enrichment and has an idea of how it is used to better the lives of the macro-mammals at the zoo. However, problems arise with the fact that some of our animals really have no interest in interacting with their human caretakers. When that occurs (as is typical with many bird species), keepers must think of new and innovative means to keep our animals mentally fit.
These are our Chilean Flamingos (Phoenicopterus chilensis) enjoying a snack of krill. This is actually a special treat for our flamingos since they do not get the krill (small shrimp) on a regular basis; instead, our birds are fed a nutritionally-complete pelleted diet that is designed to provide the proper balance of vitamins and nutrients to provide them with everything they need. Also, our birds get different pelleted diets at different times of the year to provide for the variation in metabolic needs that is associated with the breeding season. However, krill are certainly one of the favorite food items and there is no reason why a favored food item can’t be offered in moderation. Here at the Houston Zoo, we readily use the favored food items of our animals to enrich them, train them and encourage them to take active part in their own husbandry.
This instance was actually the first time that the newest editions to our flamingo flock had ever gotten krill; as you can see, they are a bit intimidated by it at first. Flamingos are a prey species, which means that their instincts tell them that anything new should be treated with caution as it could be a potential predator. However, our 6-month old flamingo chicks (noted by the grey/black plumage) eventually pluck up the courage and take to eating the krill with gusto.
Take note of the distinctive stained-glass artwork and the artificial concrete trees visible in the video – the flamingo yard is one of the oldest exhibits in the zoo and these objects are wonderful examples of the obvious appreciation for aesthetics the Houston Zoo has had with regard to animal exhibits. Of course, when guests come to the zoo they can typically look past these unique items of zoo history and simply stare mesmerized at the beauty of our Chilean Flamingo flock. Of course, we also have scheduled flamingo feedings several times a week and also encourage guests to consider “adopting” a flamingo to help provide for the care of these amazing animals. For our guests who can’t seem to get enough of our feathered friends, the Houston Zoo offers “Flocking,” a fun and interesting way to help support avian conservation!
