Enrichment
Caroline Bellhouse works for Way Out Experiences and is Education and Interpretation Officer for the Borneo Wildlife Volunteer Project. Here is her latest blog for a special weekend at Matang Wildlife Centre at the beginning of February:
Well, a lot has been going on at Matang Wildlife centre as usual! We have had visits from both Afzaal (UK based WOX) and Guillaume (KL based WOX) which has been great, both on a personal level and in terms of moving ahead with the project. A lot was achieved in a very short time!
Our other visitors, James and Lisa (from Adelaide and Auckland Zoos respectively)have toiled relentlessly from dawn to dusk every day and they are having a big impact on the improvement of the animals’ lives as well as helping to work with and teach volunteers about animal husbandry.
Lisa’s first focus has been Behavioural Enrichment (B.E.) of the animals on a daily basis. In a nutshell, this means creating activities for captive animals which encourage natural behaviours and stimulate interest in their surroundings. We have used donated boomer balls (purpose made large, tough, hollow balls with small holes into which small food items are put) and Kongs (similar idea, but smaller and made from tough rubber) which have been very popular with the bears and the monkeys.
The animals spend ages trying to roll or bounce or chew them to get the food out! Hessian sacks are an eternal favourite with the orang utans, either with food or just for wearing, cuddling, cleaning etc, ice blocks with novel foods like dried fish, raisins etc, puzzle feeders as well as really simple things like clumps of grass scattered on the roof so that the animals have to think about how to get them. By ‘novel’ food items we mean foods that are not a part of their everyday diet, a bit like a treat, but of course, a healthy treat! B.E does not have to involve food; Aman the big male orang utan has loved ‘playing’ with a washing up bowl, small bucket, and small ladle, with a bit of water too of course. Orang utan Chiam and her baby Mamu have been keenly scrubbing their walls and floors with a bowl, cloth, and a dash of washing up liquid. They will want to be on the pay roll soon! All this takes time and effort for humans too and the volunteers have been a huge help.
We have much more flexibility and far more options now that we have a new freezer; it is chocablock with tasty ice blocks, fishy rice balls and other healthy things. The freezer was paid for with volunteer contributions…so thanks to all our volunteers!!!
Lisa’s second focus has been the animal diets and she is working with the staff to ensure that all the animals get the optimum food intake within the budget.
Meanwhile, James has been welding, welding and welding! Many of the animals are housed in areas that are not totally safe due to old and damaged bar work and James has made them safer, both for the animals and for the people working near them. When not welding, James usually has a chainsaw in his hand and is, with Keith, overseeing the building of level platforms and dens for the outdoor bears. Once again, the chainsaw has been bought with volunteer contributions, thanks again!
We also have purchased a sparkly new jet washer , a favourite of many past volunteers, so we can get cleaning and painting again!
We have good news and bad news…James has to leave us as Adelaide Zoo are missing him (humph) BUT the good news is that Lisa has managed to extend her stay until May (hurrah!) and James may be able to come back if funds come through to continue the bear improvements. We are indebted to them both! Thank you!
Until next time,
Keith and Caroline
Well, a lot has been going on at Matang Wildlife centre as usual! We have had visits from both Afzaal (UK based WOX) and Guillaume (KL based WOX) which has been great, both on a personal level and in terms of moving ahead with the project. A lot was achieved in a very short time!
Our other visitors, James and Lisa (from Adelaide and Auckland Zoos respectively)have toiled relentlessly from dawn to dusk every day and they are having a big impact on the improvement of the animals’ lives as well as helping to work with and teach volunteers about animal husbandry.
Lisa’s first focus has been Behavioural Enrichment (B.E.) of the animals on a daily basis. In a nutshell, this means creating activities for captive animals which encourage natural behaviours and stimulate interest in their surroundings. We have used donated boomer balls (purpose made large, tough, hollow balls with small holes into which small food items are put) and Kongs (similar idea, but smaller and made from tough rubber) which have been very popular with the bears and the monkeys.
The animals spend ages trying to roll or bounce or chew them to get the food out! Hessian sacks are an eternal favourite with the orang utans, either with food or just for wearing, cuddling, cleaning etc, ice blocks with novel foods like dried fish, raisins etc, puzzle feeders as well as really simple things like clumps of grass scattered on the roof so that the animals have to think about how to get them. By ‘novel’ food items we mean foods that are not a part of their everyday diet, a bit like a treat, but of course, a healthy treat! B.E does not have to involve food; Aman the big male orang utan has loved ‘playing’ with a washing up bowl, small bucket, and small ladle, with a bit of water too of course. Orang utan Chiam and her baby Mamu have been keenly scrubbing their walls and floors with a bowl, cloth, and a dash of washing up liquid. They will want to be on the pay roll soon! All this takes time and effort for humans too and the volunteers have been a huge help. We have much more flexibility and far more options now that we have a new freezer; it is chocablock with tasty ice blocks, fishy rice balls and other healthy things. The freezer was paid for with volunteer contributions…so thanks to all our volunteers!!!
Lisa’s second focus has been the animal diets and she is working with the staff to ensure that all the animals get the optimum food intake within the budget.
Meanwhile, James has been welding, welding and welding! Many of the animals are housed in areas that are not totally safe due to old and damaged bar work and James has made them safer, both for the animals and for the people working near them. When not welding, James usually has a chainsaw in his hand and is, with Keith, overseeing the building of level platforms and dens for the outdoor bears. Once again, the chainsaw has been bought with volunteer contributions, thanks again!
We also have purchased a sparkly new jet washer , a favourite of many past volunteers, so we can get cleaning and painting again!
We have good news and bad news…James has to leave us as Adelaide Zoo are missing him (humph) BUT the good news is that Lisa has managed to extend her stay until May (hurrah!) and James may be able to come back if funds come through to continue the bear improvements. We are indebted to them both! Thank you!
Until next time,
Keith and Caroline
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