The Carnivore department at the Houston Zoo receives a different form of enrichment every day.
When it’s fall we usually receive a number of pumpkins to give out to enrich the animal’s experience. Since tigers don’t get excited about pumpkins by themselves, we add a little meat to it, and voila! you have tiger enrichment.
In this video Hana our female Malayan tiger gets to tear down a meat stuffed pumpkin, and then reaps the rewards inside. Often times, after eating the meat, the animals will pulverize the pumpkin for fun.
By hanging a meat stuff pumpkin, we can stimulate natural behaviors like hunts, stalking, chasing, tearing, chewing, etc. If our animals exhibit natural behaviors then our enrichment is deemed a success.
If you would like to see more enrichment activities like this one, please visit the Houston Zoo on October 2, 2010 for our annual Enrichment Day! We will have many keeper talks, games and crafts throughout the day, so come out and enjoy it with the animals!
Written by Angie Pyle, Carnivore Keeper
