Pleistocene891
Well-Known Member
If those exhibits are for small cats, then they’re honestly comparable to Night Hunters.
Zoo/Aquarium Hot Takes
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Can't say I've ever been speechless on here before.
They are for ocelot and lynx, roadsides don't really have small cats.
Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
But ocelots and Lynx are small cats? (Sorry if I’m missing the point)
I think roadsides also tend to have Bobcats and Servals.
Regardless, Night Hunters is not roadside quality.
They're medium cats. Small cats being bfc, pallas, sand cat, geoffroy's cat, things house cat sized. Bobcats are lynx.
Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
I didn’t know there were medium cats….
Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
There is a huge difference between cats that weigh a couple of pounds, and cats that weigh a couple dozen pounds, in terms of care requirements. Think of it this way: my apartment is big enough for a black-footed cat. My apartment is not big enough for a lynx.
Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
Oh. I was under the impression that all the non-panthera (and non Cheetah) cats were “small cats”.
Yes and no, some people do still use the term "small cats" to refer to anything outside of the seven species of "big cats"/Pantherinae, however this doesn't really account for the size of these animals, as while this definition would consider a cougar a "small cat", nobody would look at a cougar and think that it's small. So if "small" is being used to describe the size of animals, rather than whether they are in the Pantherinae clade, you will get a much narrower definition, as you're defining it based on animal size and not on vocalizations/other defining traits.
That said, the average height, length and weight of a bobcat is lower than the equivalent figures for an Ibizan Hound if Wikipedia is to be believed
That said, the average height, length and weight of a bobcat is lower than the equivalent figures for an Ibizan Hound if Wikipedia is to be believed
Ibizans are just sticks connected to each other though, bobcats are a big lump of power
The girl here right now doesn't weigh more than a large male bobcat.
If a exhibit depends on enrichment this much, is the exhibit really good for the animal?
The quality of ANY exhibit depends extensively on enrichment. Even the largest, most complex exhibit ever built would not be sufficient for animal welfare if nothing ever changes. Novelty, through the use of a robust enrichment program, is imperative for the welfare of any animal, and especially those like carnivores and primates that show greater cognitive function. The exhibit matters to some degree, but it is better for the animals to have an okay exhibit, that isn't huge but has enough room to move around comfortably, with a robust enrichment program, than a huge exhibit with no enrichment. Animals in the wild experience a significant amount of novel stimuli/experiences. The same should be true if the animals are in a zoo.
If a animal needs to be enriched, doesn't this simply mean that their habitat by default doesn't offer enough stimuli or possibilities to? Doesn't that mean that the default habitat is kinda lacking in welfare?
Isn't enrichment mostly additional?
If you mean that enrichment is "additional" in the sense you are adding it to the enclosure, then yes, it is additional. But if you mean that enrichment is "additional" as in unnecessary, extra, above what is needed, then no, it is not additional. Enrichment is an integral and essential part of animal welfare, and any good zoo should be giving enrichment to their entire collection on a daily basis. Even the most perfectly designed exhibit still requires enrichment, and that doesn't meant the habitat is lacking in welfare. Animals need to be given enrichment in the same sense that they need to be given food and water- they are essential parts of a captive animal's surroundings, even though they are not permanent fixtures in the exhibit. You wouldn't say that if an animal needs to be fed, that means it is lacking in welfare because the habitat by default doesn't offer enough opportunities to hunt/forage, it's the same way with enrichment. No amount of stimuli will be sufficient if it doesn't include novelty, and the best way to create novel experiences for the animals is through enrichment.
Why should we give say an otter toys? It's not natural for a small-clawed otter to have a squeeky rubber toy, neither a ball.
Otter habitats can also simply be given a habitat with plenty of built-in attributes to stimuli their behaviours. From a pool with various depths, to rocky walls and outcrops, to lush plants and logs and other woodwork.
Isn't a GOOD habitat in a zoo meant to refer to the habitat itself? Not the enrichment program? Which in many zoos is additional.
I also am very curious to hear how you intend to enrich all species in a zoo, from the rhinoceros to the small pachnoda beetle. What about aquaria? Are you going to give a bull shark a rubber seal to thrash? What about the anemones? I do wonder about all the various reptiles and amphibians too. Sure Polly the Macaw can get some enrichment. But wouldn't it be much better for Polly to be stimulated without the needs of rubber squeeky toys? Simply because her habitat and permanent life conditions are sufficient?
Enrichment is additional as well as species-dependent and can not be seen as a base metric for animal welfare.
Welfare is based on a animals habitat and living space. The general living conditions of the animal. Not on something that changes like enrichment programs as they are not as you beautifully phrased, a permanent fixture.
Key note is that there are 2 ways of enrichment;
- built-in habitat enrichment; scratching posts, waterfeatures, climbing structure
- given enrichment; balls, toys, brushes
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Don’t take this the wrong way but as an animal professional, this is a very simplistic way of viewing animal welfare and enrichment. Modern keeping 100% sees enrichment as a necessary part of animal welfare and it doesn’t matter if the enrichment is a permanent fixture in the environment or not. Regardless if the animal has the most well designed and largest habitat you could think of, it cannot completely replicate a natural environment which is where enrichment provided by keepers (through training, physical enrichment, etc.) becomes necessary in order to maximize welfare.
Looking at enrichment as "toys" is also a very simplistic, or simply inaccurate way of looking at things. Toys are one type of enrichment, but is not the only kind. I don't know much about anenomes, so can't comment on enrichment for them, but there is certainly plenty of enrichment that works for reptiles, including some of the things I will list below. Enrichment, in addition to toys, can include:
- puzzle feeders. Animals need to work for their food in the wild, making it natural to simulate this is a zoo setting with puzzle feeders to get food.
- diet scatters/placing food in different locations of enclosure- again, very natural, and very easy for keepers to do, while keeping things novel for the animals.
- novel food item, especially with animals that don't have very specialized diets, providing novel food items/providing variation in what is being fed is enrichment.
- novel scents- many animals are scent-driven, so it can be enriching to introduce animals to a novel scent, whether that be from a different animal (ex. giving zebra fur to cheetahs), or whether it be cinnamon, a spice, perfume, etc.
- adding new plants, rocks, etc., to the exhibits, whether new permanent inclusions or temporary (such as the many zoos you see giving pumpkins to animals in October/November.
- habitat re-design/moving around fixtures in the enclosure- this is a good one for things like reptiles living in terrariums. Moving hides, dishes, plants, etc. to other parts of the enclosure can provide a good, novel experience.
- new substrates, especially good if its a different substrate than the animals are used to.
- as @Echobeast mentioned, training can be good enrichment, especially for animals like sea lions that tend to be rather smart/training-oriented, but can be used for a wide array of taxa- including some reptiles (monitor lizards especially)
- time outside of the enclosure, of course not safe/possible with all taxa, but when it is possible, taking animals on supervised walks/time in new areas can be very enriching. This one can work with everything from tortoises to porcupines to miniature donkeys to penguins, and can provide some great enrichment.
These are just some of the types I can think of off-hand, based on my experience/taxa I've worked with. I'm sure there are plenty of other types of enrichment as well, but enrichment does not just mean a toy, although toys are (usually not particularly good) enrichment.