Lion Country Safari Enrichment Workshop
(Designed for Grades 1-12 & adult)

Purpose: To help students to understand how environmental enrichment benefits animals, including humans; to distinguish various types of enrichments; and to understand how different animals respond to stimulation differently.

Program length: 30-45 minutes

Background
Environmental enrichment in zoos provides stimulating environments for animals, helping them to display species-typical behavior, to allow them to exercise some control over their environment, and to enhance their well-being. Some of the ways that zoos provide enrichment for animals are: exhibit design; training (operant conditioning); sensory (relating to the 5 senses), including food; and introducing new objects into their environment, to challenge them physically and/or mentally.

This program will focus on enrichment for animals at Lion Country Safari, including a hands-on activity of creating enrichments for some of our animals.

This program meets the following Sunshine State Standards:
SC.K.L.14.1, SC.1.L.14.1, SC.1.L.17.1, SC.2.L.17.1, SC.2.L.17.2, SC.4.L.16.2, SC.4.L.16.3, SC.4.L.17.4, SC.5.L.15.1, HE.7.C.1.3, HE.8.C.1.3, HE.912.C.1.3

Pre-Visit Activity:
Enrichment  Activity 1
This activity is designed to introduce students to some enrichments that they have in their lives, and to consider how the lives of animals at Lion Country Safari may be enriched. Note: For older students, you may wish to ask them to list items rather than drawing them.

Post-Visit Activity:
Enrichment  Activity 2
Print a copy of this chart for each student (or group of students, if you would prefer that they work on this as a group activity) and ask the students to complete it on their visit. When you get back to class, review their charts.