Environmental enrichment is a very important aspect of primate husbandry.  With appropriate planning and implementation, the keepers at the Endangered Primate Breeding Centre, can successfully design and provide enriching opportunities, using food or toy-like devices, to encourage the animals to exhibit species-specific behaviours and their natural instincts whilst in captivity.  

 

Primates are highly intelligent, therefore we encourage a range of natural behaviours through offering a mix of simple and complex enrichment opportunities at the centre.  These may include:

- Terrestrial foraging from a scatter feed

- Physical stimulation (i.e. muscle-building by climbing or suspension)

- Social (i.e. grooming opportunities)

- Cognitive stimulation in the form of manipulative feeding cages.

 

Enrichment is provided at least twice per day.  The keepers at the centre have to be very imaginative as our resources are limited, however we are very fortunate to receive regular donations for enrichment devices.

 

Below are some of our enrichment activities: