A lot of the blogs we write here at The Great Projects include the word enrichment but unless you are already familiar with the world of animal conservation you may not know what it means. Luckily we are here to help and tell you all about enrichment and why it is needed for the animals at the rescue centres.
Enrichment is the act of attempting to improve an animal’s life and care by identifying and providing the environmental stimuli necessary for their optimal psychological and physiological well-being. The goal of enrichment is to improve, or maintain at a minimum, the range of species-specific behaviours of each individual animal and to properly prepare them for their release back into the wild (if they are able to be released safely.)
The different types of enrichment stimuli can be broken down into six groups:
As you can see, enrichment comes in many different shapes and sizes and all of them are crucial to the animals who currently reside at the sanctuaries. You can take a closer look at the enrichment which is used at the Samboja Lestari Orangutan Sanctuary in Borneo to gain a better idea of what is created for the Great Apes. Enrichment is crucial for the animals at the sanctuaries, and depending on where you go you may be asked to put on your thinking cap and help come up with a new idea to keep the Orangutans or Sun Bears stimulated! Staff are always looking for new ideas, so start thinking now!
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Come face to face with one of the world’s most misunderstood predators whilst aiding great white shark conservation. As a volunteer, not only will you get the incredible opportunity to dive with sharks, but you will also assist the team in raising awareness of the great white as you work alongside tourists and local school children to provide them with knowledge of the local environment and the importance of living in harmony with South Africa’s marine life.
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