Live Enrichment » Minnesota Zoo

Live Enrichment
26-07-2008

I was very interested to see that Minnesota Zoo places live fish into the bear enclosure. Personally think it's a great idea.

How have the public responded to this?

Any other zoos offering live food to mammals?

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Stuart R Webster
A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead

26-07-2008

The Mountain View Conservation Centre (see its own thread if you want more information) feeds live quail to some of its carnivores. There are some zoos in India that have been notorious for feeding live goats and sheep to its lions and tigers.

26-07-2008

Feeding any live vertabrate out is illegal in south australia so we can only use like inverst for enrichment. i think it all depends how often thebears eat them.

THe live quail sound very cruel.

26-07-2008

I think heard that Woodland Park Zoo also gives live fish to it's grizzly bears, but I'm not sure if they still do. And when the "Ultimate Zoo" show came out in Animal Planet, they showed Detroit giving live fish to their Polar Bears in the Artic Ring of Life exhibit, but I'm also not sure if they still do.

The Los Angeles zoo gives live gold fish and crayfish to it's otters. This is really fun for the public and of course the otters enjoy following them around the exhibit until they catch them.

I think it's a great idea to an extent. I don't think the public will mind fish, but I think they will mind seeing quail and goats being eaten by the predators. Zoos could do it before the zoo opens or right after they close, so the public won't get to see the other animals die.

26-07-2008

There are goldfish in the tiger exhibit at melbourne zoo but i haven't ever seen the tigers in the water anyway so i don't know how successful it is.

26-07-2008

I think goldfish are way too small to motivate a tiger.