What is enrichment? I was wondering about that. I was watching the elephants eat out of different bins at their exhibit and was wondering why they ate out of them. Enrichment is basically training the animal’s mind to keep them thinking actively. In the wild, the food is not just on the ground, like a buffet. For example, wolves have to be active and strategically take down the prey that they are hunting by attacking in groups at the weak or sick animal. At the Zoo, the keepers are always thinking of different ways to have the animals look for their food. An animal at the Zoo could finish eating food after one hour without enrichment. With enrichment, it could take three to four hours to completely finish everything for an animal. Almost all of the animals at the San Diego Zoo are under some sort of enrichment.

The elephants have a lot of enrichment opportunities. Ron Ringer, the senior elephant keeper; mentioned that the elephants need enrichment to stay healthy. He said that without the enrichment, they ate the food too quickly. The enrichment helped them stay physically and mentally active. A lot of the food is stored in containers with small holes that the elephants’ trunks can fit in. One particular food container was shaped like a tube with a hole at a high place where the elephants couldn’t reach. In order to reach that hole, they flipped the tube over so their trunk could have access to it. Once an elephant flips that certain container over, she has to look for the small hole and stick her trunk inside of the hole to take out the food. The elephants looked really entertained and energetic the whole time I saw them eating. This is a good sign because it shows that they are staying fit.

A crushed pumpkin

I really liked watching the elephants looking around the exhibit for the food; it simulates a natural environment. My favorite part was watching the elephants eating the pumpkins because the pumpkins popped and the elephants chewed them like they were gum. One elephant even stomped on the pumpkins too! I also liked how they were able to use their trunks to sniff out and pick up food. Their trunks wander around and swing from one side to another, looking for something to grab. When I was looking at their eyes, they looked like they were not even looking for food visually. Sometimes I think that the elephants’ trunks have a mind of their own.

Daniel is an student at High Tech High in San Diego.

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